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AROUND THE WORLD 

DUE WEST TO THE FAR EAST 



AROUND THE WORLD 

DUE WEST TO THE FAR EAST 



BY 

ROBERT STUART MacARTHUR 

» i 

AUTHOR OF 

"Current Questions for Thinking (Men ," " The Celestial Lamp,' 1 
"Quick Truths from Quaint Texts," " "Bible Difficulties 
and their *Alleviative Interpretation" "The Old "Book 
and the Old Faith" "Sunday U^ight Lec- 
tures on the Land and the "Book," etc. 



■ 

Travel makes all men countrymen, makes people noblemen and 
kings, every man tasting of liberty and dominion. 

— tAnLjs 'Bronson tAlcott,^' Concord TDays " 



PHILADELPHIA. 

Gbe ©rtffitb £ IRowlano press 

igoo 



JAPAN REFERENCE 
LIBRARY 

NEW YORK 






Copyright igoo by 
Robert Stuart MacArthur 



Copy — 

07601 
life 40 



£lectrotspe& ano printed bg tbe 
Hmerican baptist publication Society; 



• 



To the (Members 

OF THE 

Calvarg JBapttst Cburcb 

AND 

Congregation 

Whose patience, affection, and prayers 

made the twenty-fifth anniversary of the present 

pastorate possible ; and whose considerate generosity 

made the celebration of that anniversary by 

a trip around the world also possible 

THIS VOLUME IS 

BftecttonatelE Deotcateo 

BY THEIR 

Sincere tfrienD ano s pastor 

Robert Stuart OAaczArthur 



PREFACE 



Modern facilities for travel are now so great 
that the circumnavigation of the globe is com- 
paratively a small matter. Travel is a great 
educator. A Spanish proverb says, " He who 
would bring home the wealth of the Indies, must 
carry the wealth of the Indies with him." It is 
certain that to bring back a considerable amount 
of information the tourist must carry with him 
no small degree of knowledge. This author can 
make no special claim in that respect, however 
much he may appreciate the truth of the proverb. 
But whether or not one starts thoroughly fur- 
nished with knowledge, he can appreciate the 
truth of Alcott's words, " Traveling is no fool's 
errand to him who carries his eyes and itinerary 
with him." 

An enormous amount of work in travel, read- 
ing, observing, and writing was put into the five 
months occupied in making this journey; that 
much can be said with absolute truth and with 
equal frankness. The Calvary Church gener- 
ously allowed a year for the trip ; but a sense of 
duty to the work left behind forbade the full ac- 
ceptance of the kind offer. 

There is some gain, however, in seeing how 
much can be done in five months. Jules Verne 



Vlll PREFACE 

was daring in his story of a trip around the 
world in eighty days ; but with the opening of 
the Trans-Siberian Railway the journey may be 
made, with but little fatigue and equally little 
risk, in thirty-three days. 

This volume would have appeared sooner but 
for a disastrous fire which necessitated delay ; 
but it has been thought wise to allow the text to 
remain as it was originally written. The author 
indulged in some rather bold prophecies regard- 
ing the relation of Hawaii to the United States, 
and also touching other matters ; and it is 
strangely interesting to see how literally history 
has fulfilled these predictions. 

If the reader can get any part of the enjoy- 
ment out of this trip which the writer had in 
making the journey, investigating historical facts, 
and recording his observations, the reader will 
not have read, nor the writer have traveled and 
written, in vain. 

The Author. 

New York, Calvary Study, Aug. i, 1900. 



CONTENTS 



CHAPTER PAGE 

I. The Start i 

A Glimpse of Chicago — Salt Lake City — Our Bap- 
tist Work — Some Other Matters — What About Mor- 
monism ? 

II. Ogden to San Francisco 15 

Oases in the Desert — San Francisco — A Trip to 
Oakland — A Glimpse of Chinatown — A Meeting of 
Brethren. 

III. San Francisco to Honolulu 27 

The Passengers — Nearing the Islands — In Hono- 
lulu — A Busy Sunday. 

IV. Visiting the Volcano 39 

Molokai — Other Islands — Hawaii — Arriving at Hilo 
— The Crater of Kilauea. 

V. HlLO AND THE ISLANDS 52 

Return to Hilo — Sunday in Hilo — Sensitive Points — 
This and That. 

VI. Honolulu Again 65 

The Iolani Palace — Buildings, Schools, and Parks — 
The Climate — Hawaii Americanized. 

VII. Hawaiian History 77 

The Native Race — Foreign Influence — Reactions — 
The Revolution — Establishment of the Republic — 
Royalist Revolt. 

VIII. The Hawaiian Future 93 

Future of the Natives — The Bishop Museum — "The 
Glorious Fourth " — The Hawaiian " Fourth." 

IX. Religious Development of Hawaii . . 105 
Obookia — Some Missionaries — Foreign Churches. 



CONTENTS 



X. At Sea Again 116 

The Ship and Passengers — The Chinese Steerage — 
Mid-ocean Pastimes — Crossing the Line — Arriving 
at Yokohama. 

XL Japanese History 131 

Early Japan — Introduction of Catholicism — Over- 
throw of the Jesuits — Opening of the Country — 
Various Items. 

XII. A Sunday in Yokohama 146 

The Jinrikisha — Visiting Churches — Some Fine In- 
stitutions — A Glimpse of Yokohama. 

XIII. Japan's Ancient Places 157 

Striking Contrasts — A Typhoon — Kamakura — 
Northward to Nikko. 

XIV. To the "Eastern Capital" .... 170 

Off for Karuizawa — A Glimpse of Tokyo — Asakusa 
— Back to Yokohama. 

XV. Across Three Seas 180 

Leaving Yokohama — A Visit to Arima — Through 
the Inland Sea — Off for Hong Kong. 

XVI. Japan's Progress 191 

Japanese Missions — The School Question — Several 
Japans — Passports — Some Japanese Words. 

XVII. Religion and Morals 202 

Native Religion — Lack of Morality — Work of Prot- 
estant Missionaries — Difficulties of the Mission- 
aries — Up to 1890. 

XVIII. Peculiarities of Japan 213 

Cheap Living — Diminutive People — Practically 
Slaves — Politeness — Japanese Handicaps. 

XIX. The Gibraltar of the East .... 226 

Hong Kong Harbor — The Capital City — Charac- 
teristic Spots — Three-Century-Old Macao. 



CONTENTS XI 



XX. A Nick of China 238 

Nearing Kwang-tung — The Walled City — Streets of 
Canton — Chief Sights. 

XXI. More About China 252 

Chinese Traits — The Massacres — Leaving Hong 
Kong — Orientals Aboard. 

XXII. Singapore 263 

A Floating Home — -Half-way Around the World — 
The Capital of the Straits Settlements — The Chinese 
Again — Tropical Heat. 

XXIII. Penang and Ceylon 276 

Penang — On the Indian Ocean — A Dilemma — The 
Island of Ceylon — The Mahawanso — The Island 
People To-day. 

XXIV. Cities of Ceylon 293 

The Trip to Kandy — Glimpses of Colombo — A Com- 
parison. 

XXV. "Indika" 302 

No India — The Country Described — A Rich Conti- 
nent — The Government. 

XXVI. Conquests of India 315 

The Aborigines — The Greek Period — Modern Con- 
tacts — Great Britain in Control — Religions and Peo- 
ples. 

XXVII. Calcutta 324 

India's Capital — The City of Palaces — Serampore. 

XXVIII. Benares, The Holy City 340 

Poverty Amid Plenty — Benares — A Strategic Point 
— Comforts of Travel. 

XXIX. Ganges Cities 358 

Allahabad — Jubbulpore — Cawnpore Memorials — 
The Sepoy Mutiny — British Retribution. 



Xll CONTENTS 

XXX. Lucknow 375 

The City of the Mutiny— Sir Henry Havelock— The 
Sikandara Bagh — Lessons of the Mutiny. 

XXXI. Delhi 3 8 9 

Seven Delhis — Palaces and Thrones — Marvelous 
Pillars — Treasure and Slaughter. 

XXXII. Agra 4 o 4 

The Mogul Capital— The Taj Mahal— The Fort and 
Other Buildings, 

XXXIII. Western India 415 

Ajmere — Ahmedabad — Tombs and Mosques — Jey- 
pore or Jaipur. 

XXXIV. Bombay 430 

India's Chief Port— Public Buildings— The Native 
Quarter — The Parsis— The Caves of Elephanta. 

XXXV. The Arabian Sea 449 

Farewell to India — Aden — Entering the Red Sea. 

XXXVI. The Red Sea 462 

Its Ports and its Colors— Suez — The Great Canal— A 
Glance at Egypt. 

XXXVII. Cairo "The Victorious". . . . 476 

The First City of Africa— At the Pyramids— The 
Sphinx — Streets of Cairo — Alexandria. 

XXXVIII. "The Isles of Greece" .... 492 

Oriental Passengers — Historic Places — Rhodes — 
Apostolic Associations — A Glimpse of Athens — 
Smyrna — Troy. 

XXXIX. Constantinople 514 

Constantinople — The Suburbs. 

XL. Constantinople to London . . . 522 

A Long Railway Ride — Days in London — Conclu- 
sion. 



AROUND THE WORLD 



THE START 



ATRIP around the world is a small matter 
to-day compared with what it was a gene- 
ration, or even a decade, ago. But it is still 
true that long journeys by land and sea have to 
be taken, many inconveniences have to be ex- 
perienced, and some dangers have to be en- 
countered. 

The start was made from New York on 
Tuesday, June 4, 1895, at 2 p. m., by the Penn- 
sylvania Railway for Chicago. One does not 
feel that he has really started so long as he still 
is in our own country ; but it took some courage 
to say the last good-bye to family and church 
friends, and to take the first step toward put- 
ting continents and oceans between the trav- 
eler and all who are dearest on earth. Not 
until the celebration of the twenty-fifth anni- 
versary of the pastorate were the strength and 
tenderness of the pastoral tie fully appreciated. 
The view of members of the family and the 
church friends who came to the station, and who 



AROUND THE WORLD 



watched as the train rolled out, will long remain 
as a cherished memory. 

A friend of college days, and of the many 
years since, was at the station in Philadelphia 
to give his greeting and to say good-bye. His 
courtesy was greatly appreciated ; and the ride 
through the picturesque regions of Pennsylvania 
was much enjoyed. A copious rain during the 
night settled the dust and cooled the heated air. 
The morning found us at Columbus, Ohio, and 
the ride to Chicago, over finely cultivated fields, 
in the cool air and in the bright sunshine, was 
truly delightful. 

A Glimpse OF Chicago. — Early in the after- 
noon Chicago, with its black smoke, its wonder- 
ful history, and its brilliant future, appeared in 
the distance. While waiting for the train on 
the Northwestern road there was time for reflec- 
tion on Chicago. The most remarkable thing 
which foreigners who visited the Columbian 
Exposition at Chicago saw was Chicago. In its 
early history it was simply an Indian trading- 
post established by an enterprising French Negro. 
In 1804 the government built a log fort and 
named it Henry Dearborn, after the secretary of 
war at the time. During the war of 181 2 the 
fort was evacuated, and in 181 6 a new one was 
built. It was not until 1833 that the real work 
of making a city was begun. It is not a little 
surprising to remember now, as we ride through 
this great city, that in 1832 the population was 
less than one hundred; that in 1833 it was two 



THE START 



thousand ; that in two years more it was four 
thousand ; that in 1845 it was twelve thousand ; 
and that in 1849 ^ was twenty-three thousand ; 
and so it increased until in 1880 it was the lead- 
ing city of the West, with a population of five 
hundred and three thousand; in 1890 it had one 
million two hundred thousand, and in 1894 one 
million five hundred thousand. It is no wonder 
that the people of Chicago are proud of their city. 
It is the capital of a vast empire. Her great 
fires were a blessing in a thin disguise. They 
gave Chicagoans an opportunity to build a nobler 
city and to show their undaunted courage. New 
York, because of her history and location, must 
continue to possess great advantages over Chi- 
cago, but the Western city will always have op- 
portunities and successes peculiarly her own. 

She has recently made rapid strides in the di- 
rection of municipal reform. The civic federa- 
tion of Chicago is already a great power for 
good. Its influence is felt in every part of the 
city government. Its president is Mr. Lyman J. 
Gage, who is also president of the First National 
Bank, and one of the ablest financiers in America. 1 
The administration of Mayor Hopkins was a 
disappointment to all lovers of municipal re- 
form ; and the people resented his failure in his 
high office by electing George B. Swift by a major- 
ity of over forty thousand. In that election the 
city adopted the Civil Service Law passed by 



1 Since these words were written Mr. Gage, as all know, has 
become Secretary of the United States Treasury. His course 
therein more than justifies the estimate here recorded. 



AROUND THE WORLD 



the State legislature. This law makes it certain 
that the city will have a better government ; and 
the law as enacted by the State cannot be re- 
pealed by any city council. This law provides 
that three Civil Service commissioners shall be 
appointed by the mayor, that competitive ex- 
aminations shall be open to all for entrance to 
municipal service, that promotions shall be made 
on the basis of merit, and that politics will not 
be considered in appointments, promotions, or 
removals. Chicago is thus the first city in the 
country to adopt such a system for its own gov- 
ernment. Other cities will have to imitate her 
example. Cities govern the country. If they are 
not well governed there is no hope for the re- 
public. The time will soon come in New York 
when it will not be an insuperable barrier to 
civic promotion that a man is an American by 
birth and a Protestant in faith. 

Salt Lake City. — After a brief stay in Chi- 
cago, on we rode by day and by night until over 
sixteen hundred miles were passed, and Salt 
Lake City was reached. In being able to visit 
this city a long-cherished wish was gratified. 
Indeed, the determination to make this visit led 
to the selection of the route of travel chosen, 
and to the postponement of a visit to Los An- 
geles and other interesting places in its vicinity. 
It was difficult to realize on the way to the hotel 
that forty-eight years ago this valley was an un- 
broken wilderness. Now it is cultivated to a 
degree of prosperity scarcely equaled in any 



THE START 



part of the country. Even a glance showed 
that the city is laid out in broad streets inter- 
secting one another at right angles, that these 
streets are bordered with cottonwood trees, Lom- 
bardy poplars, and other trees, and that in each 
gutter a stream of water swiftly flows, making 
sweet music and giving life and beauty to all 
forms of vegetation. A glimpse also showed 
the great Mormon Temple and Tabernacle, the 
roof of the latter looking: like the bottom of an 
overturned boat, or like a huge metallic dish 
cover, and forming a feature of the city as 
prominent as it is unsightly. Of both these 
great structures fuller mention will be made 
later in this chapter. 

It is well known that Salt Lake City was 
founded July 24, 1847, by the Mormons, or 
"Latter-Day Saints," as they called themselves. 
On that day Brigham Young stood on Ensign 
Peak, the " Mount of Prophecy," and announced 
to his followers that in the valley below should 
be founded the new " City of Zion," as the future 
home of the " Saints." Until 1871 these 
"Saints" virtually lived apart from the rest of 
world ; this seclusion they desired, to enable 
them to carry out their peculiar social and re- 
ligious principles and practices. It is altogether 
likely that they believed that they were beyond 
the jurisdiction of the United States, and that 
they might be a law unto themselves. But 
mining interests drew a Gentile population to 
Salt Lake City and its vicinity ; and this popu- 
lation has so increased that now, in its outward 



AROUND THE WORXD 



aspects, the city differs but little from any other 
community in the country. The impress, how- 
ever, of its first settlers is fixed in the names of 
the streets, in public institutions, and in the lay- 
ing out of the city. The temple is the center of 
everything. Streets are laid out with reference 
to it, and they are east or west, north or south, 
according to their relation to this great central 
building. It is worth much to any religious 
body to be the first to occupy these great West- 
ern fields where cities so soon spring into exist- 
ence. There is here a lesson for our Home Mis- 
sion Society, and for all our churches. 

Salt Lake City is situated at the base of the 
Wasatch Mountains. It has a population of per- 
haps sixty thousand, and is over four thousand 
feet above the sea-level. Its public buildings, 
business blocks, and private residences give every 
indication of wealth and prosperity. The finest 
residences are on the mountain bench, which 
doubtless was once the shore of a great inland 
sea, whose waters ages ago receded until they 
finally settled in the basin of the Great Salt 
Lake. One of the leading business enterprises 
is "Zion's Co-operative Mercantile Institution," 
which is popularly known as the " Co-op." 
Wherever one sees a building with the mystic 
initials, "Z. C. M. I.," he may know that it is a 
branch of the great " Co-op." Its headquarters 
are in a large building, and it does a business of 
from six million dollars to eight million dollars 
annually. It has branches in at least four towns 
in the Territory. 



THE START 



Temple Square. — This point is very attract- 
ive to the tourist. Here are the Assembly Hall, 
the Tabernacle, and the Temple. The hall cost 
one hundred and fifty thousand dollars, and it 
will seat about two thousand persons. The 
Tabernacle has often been described ; it is ob- 
long and its acoustics are perfect. It is literally 
true that in it, when there is perfect silence, one 
can hear the falling of a pin ; the experiment 
was successfully tried by our guide during our 
visit. The roof is, with possibly one exception, 
the largest self-supporting roof in the world. 
The seating capacity of the building is generally 
said to be from twelve thousand to fifteen thou- 
sand ; but this is certainly an overstatement. 
The capacity of all public buildings is almost 
invariably exaggerated. Nine thousand is a 
large figure to name for the Tabernacle ; per- 
haps it can hold nine thousand and seat seven 
thousand five hundred, and this is a liberal 
figure. 

The Temple is, with the exception of St. 
Patrick's Cathedral, New York, the costliest and 
grandest ecclesiastical structure in our country ; 
but other religious buildings now in process of 
erection will equal and perhaps surpass it in this 
respect. It was begun in 1853 and completed in 
1893 ; its cost is put down at from five to six 
million dollars. It is two hundred feet long, one 
hundred feet wide, and one hundred feet high, 
with a tower at each corner two hundred and 
twenty feet high. The figure which represents the 
angel Moroni — the guardian angel of Mormon- 



8 AROUND THE WORLD 

ism — is of gigantic size. It represents Moroni 
as a herald, bringing to the earth the gospel of 
the latter-day dispensation. The temple is built 
wholly of snow-white granite from the cotton- 
wood canon ; it is said that it can be seen for 
fifty miles up and down the valley. Gentiles 
are not permitted to enter it ; but it is under- 
stood that the first floor is used for baptisms, and 
other floors for celestial marriages and the vari- 
ous rites which belong only to the initiated. 
These rites, and the parts of the building where 
they are observed, are open only to those who 
have passed through all the preceding rites. 
Near the square is the " Bee Hive," once the 
home of Brigham Young. Near also is the 
Tithing House, and not far distant is the Gardo 
House, or the " Amelia Palace," the former home 
of Brigham Young's favorite wife. 

Our Baptist Work. — In the winter of 1871 
General Dodge was sent by the government to 
Salt Lake City as Superintendent of Indian 
Affairs. With him were his wife and two 
daughters. They were all leal-hearted Baptists. 
As early as 1856 a Mrs. Varney, who was a Bap- 
tist, came with her Mormon husband. In Feb- 
ruary, 1872, during a visit by Rev. Mr. Brown, 
of Kvanston, Wyoming, a Baptist church was 
organized. It was the first Baptist church in 
Utah Territory, and, with the exception of the 
Mormon and Roman churches, the first of any 
denomination. But General Dodge and his 
family returned to Washington. Other mem- 



THE START 



bers moved away and some died, and the work 
was virtually suspended. 

In July, 1882, Rev. D wight Spencer, as gen- 
eral missionary of the Home Mission Society, re- 
suscitated the church. The next year a per- 
manent organization was formed, and in March, 
1884, a house of worship costing fourteen thou- 
sand dollars was dedicated. The first pastor 
was Rev. Dr. H. G. DeWitt, and the beloved 
Deacon Estey, of Brattleboro, Vermont, became 
responsible for his salary. His service of two 
years was marked by prosperity. Rev. L. L,. 
Wood was the next pastor ; he was followed by 
Rev. D. D. Forward. In April, 1891, Rev. 
Henry B. Steelman, still pastor at the time of 
this visit, took up the work. Mr. Steelman was 
a helper to Dr. Judson for one year in Orange, 
and for two years in New York ; he was for a 
time a pastor in Troy, and he then succeeded 
Dr. Parmly in Jersey City. He has found re- 
newed health and vigor in the pure air of Salt 
Lake City. His work is wholesome and fruit- 
ful ; every branch of it is prosperous. It must 
be remembered that more than two-thirds of the 
population are Mormons, and they are as hostile 
to the Baptist faith as if they were Romanists. 
The church is an institutional church ; its lines 
of work are many and its work on every line is 
vigorous. It has no fewer than five branches in 
the city and vicinity. It gave me much pleasure 
to worship with this excellent people, and then 
to address them from God's word. 

Rev. S. G. Adams is the earnest pastor of the 



IO AROUND THE WORLD 

East Side Baptist Church, under the direction 
of the Home Mission Society. He is also the 
missionary for Utah Territory. The exercises 
of Children's Day at this church were especially 
interesting. Mr. Adams ought to have all his 
time for missionary work. It is a great pity that 
we cannot put more workers into this territorial 
field. This earnest brother groans over the 
feebleness of Christian work in the territory as 
a whole, and I deeply sympathized with him in 
the hope that soon we may be able to enter with 
an adequate force on the work in this hard but 
hopeful field It is earnestly commended to the 
consideration of the Home Mission Society and 
of our churches generally. 

Some other Matters. — The Joint City and 
County Building is of extreme beauty. It 
towers above every other edifice except the 
Temple, and in some respects above that. It is 
topped only by the snow-clad peaks of the sur- 
rounding mountains. It is a graceful combina- 
tion of Roman and Byzantine art, and in all its 
details it is as complete as its general effect is 
imposing. Its cost was more than three-quarters 
of a million dollars. It marks an era of progress 
in this ambitious and prosperous city. 

The Sanitarium Hot Spring Baths are said to 
be the finest in all the details of the buildings 
in America. The Hotel Knutsford would be 
called quite good in almost any city, and the 
Templeton, under Mormon control, is reason- 
ably good. The city is one of the largest mili- 



THE START II 



tary posts in the West, Fort Douglas being in 
the neighborhood. The Hot Springs are highly 
medicinal, and this vicinity must more and more 
become a popular resort for invalids from all 
parts of America. The river Jordan is a small 
river of yellow water flowing from Utah Lake to 
Salt Lake. The river received its name because 
it connects this lake and this sea, as its name- 
sake connects the Sea of Galilee and the Dead 
Sea. 

The Great Salt Lake is eighteen miles from 
the city ; it is the Dead Sea of America. It is 
first mentioned in history by Baron La Houtan 
in 1689, who learned from Indians of its exist- 
ence. Gen. John C. Fremont deserves the honor 
of having first really discovered it, while on his 
way to Oregon in 1842. Its length is one hun- 
dred and twenty-six miles, and its breadth forty- 
five miles. In the years from 1847 to 1856 it 
gradually filled up about six feet, and then 
slowly subsided to its old depth of about twenty 
feet. Although many streams pour into it, it has 
no outlet. Its salt is very pure ; it is the opinion 
of salt-makers that there is seventeen per cent, 
of solid matter in the lake. The lake is now a 
fashionable bathing resort, and trains to Saltair 
are run almost hourly from Salt Lake City. 

What about Mormonism ? — It is still very 
powerful. It has wealth, faith, and zeal. The 
zeal of many of its people is worthy of the noblest 
causes. The writer talked with representatives 
of various types of Mormonism ; some of them 



12 AROUND THE WORLD 

are men and women who were truly converted 
in England and elsewhere before they adopted 
the vagaries of Mormonism. They are very de- 
vout, loyal, and zealous. They stand ready to 
go, at their own charges, to any part of the 
earth to preach the doctrines of Mormonism ; to 
preach, as they told me, "the gospel in its full- 
ness." A man who was just getting well started 
in life, recently mortgaged his farm to get money 
to go on a mission to the ends of the earth. Their 
zeal rebukes our coldness. 

What about polygamy ? This is their state- 
ment : " What God reveals we accept. We ask 
no questions ; we raise no objections. The rev- 
elation may be distasteful, but we obey. He has 
revealed his will regarding polygamous mar- 
riages, and we accept the doctrine. But the 
laws of the United States are against the prac- 
tice ; we, therefore, hold the principle, but sus- 
pend the practice." This is a fair statement of 
their side of the case. But do they suspend the 
practice ? On that point Gentiles are very skep- 
tical, and they will give you reasonable grounds 
for their skepticism. They do not believe in 
the honesty of many Mormons in this regard. 
There is, however, at least ostensible conformity 
to the law, but many suggestions are made as to 
clandestine violations of it. Many Gentiles feel 
that if the Territory is received into the Union as 
a State polygamy will be openly and defiantly 
practised, and there is ground for this fear. 1 The 

1 The result of granting statehood to the Territory has more 
than justified the fears here expressed regarding the continuance 



THE START 13 



Mormons have been and are an industrious peo- 
ple. They have literally transformed the desert 
into a garden ; they have made it blossom as the 
rose. 

But there are in Mormonism marked elements 
of weakness ; it cannot hold the young people. 
I attended meetings of the " Young Men's Mutual 
Improvement Association." This organization 
is doing much work ; but at the Sunday after- 
noon service — an anniversary gathering — the 
presidents of many of the " Stakes " complained 
bitterly of the lack of interest shown by the 
young in the work. President Woodruff spoke 
in the same spirit ; a strain of pathos marked 
his address because of his own advanced years, 
and because of the indifference of the young. 
He earnestly exhorted them to manifest greater 
diligence, but it was evident that he had not 
much hope of seeing his desire realized. It is 
said on every side that many are neglectful of 
their tithes. The Tabernacle was not more than 
two-thirds full, even on this anniversary occa- 
sion. There is not now the religious experience 
on the part of the young which the older gen- 
eration possessed. They are baptized at eight 
years, and no religious experience is expressed 
or expected. The old spirit of daring and of 
heroism, which made many of the pioneers zea- 
lots and martyrs, is now largely wanting; their 

of polygamy. The election of Brigham H. Roberts, although 
he was an avowed polygamist, shows the hold polygamy has on 
the people. But the refusal of the House to seat him gives po- 
lygamy a stinging rebuke. 



14 AROUND THE WORXD 

political power also is waning. Salt Lake City 
is in the hands of Gentiles. 

Few pastors or missionaries whom I met 
favored giving statehood to Utah ; but they 
recognize that it is coming, and they do not 
wish to be found as earnestly in opposition. 
God help the Christian brethren to do their full 
duty in this crisis. Baptists are best able to 
meet the errors of Mormonism, and God is giving 
us great opportunities. Long will the memory 
of this visit live in the writer's mind. Beautiful 
is Salt Lake City, glorious are its mountains, and 
superb is the historic valley. The air was a con- 
stant delight, and mere living was an inspiration. 
Rarer than even Mr. Lowell's rare days in June 
were those spent in the congenial friendship, the 
perfect atmosphere, and the appreciated rest at 
Salt Lake City. 



II 

OGDEN TO SAN FRANCISCO 

THE word " Utah " is of Indian derivation, 
and is said to mean, " A home on a moun- 
tain " ; it is related to the word Ute, the name of 
the Indian tribe. The Territory contains a little 
over eighty-four thousand square miles, and the 
yearly value of its farm products is not less than 
ten million dollars. On Monday morning, after 
the two days of rest in Salt Lake City, in com- 
pany with Rev. S. G. Adams, who is full of facts 
regarding Utah and of zeal in religious work, the 
journey of thirty-seven miles was made from Salt 
Lake City north to Ogden. Ogden is a railway 
and manufacturing town ; it has an elevation of 
over four thousand feet, and a population of 
thirty thousand persons. It gives employment 
to a great number of men, it being the location 
of the shops of five leading trunk lines. It is 
beautifully situated on the west slope of the 
Wasatch Mountains. Its wide, well-paved, and 
pleasantly shaded streets are lighted with elec- 
tricity. Pure water abounds ; and the people, 
like those of many other sections, affirm that 
there is no better climate in the United States. 
Rev. Dwight Spencer was largely instrumental 
in the building of the ornate Baptist church in 

is 



1 6 AROUND THE WORLD 

Ogden ; and here, Rev. Richard Hartley, now 
so much esteemed as the pastor of the Hope 
Church, New York, was once the pastor. He 
and his wife are still appreciatively remembered. 
The present pastor, Rev. L,. L,. Crandall, is doing 
excellent work. We met him and the pastors of 
most of the other churches in the study of the 
Methodist pastor at their regular Monday meet- 
ing. The sanctified common sense, pulpit and 
pastoral ability, and religious zeal of Pastor 
Crandall, bear constant fruit. The pleasant 
drive, the hospitable welcome by Mrs. Crandall, 
and the fraternal spirit shown in many ways 
made a charming memory as the long journey 
was resumed that beautiful afternoon. 

Oases in the Desert. — Already we had 
crossed weary miles of dreary deserts. Fortu- 
nately, however, we were not troubled by alkali 
dust. It was seen all along the road, making 
the sand quite white, but recent rains had so 
completely laid it that it caused us no annoy- 
ance. As one looked out on the hundreds of 
miles of desert and sage brush a parody on the 
words of Tennyson came constantly to mind : 

Oh, the dreary, dreary sageland ! Oh, the barren, barren 
moor ! 

But there are oases in this desert. One of these 
was at Humboldt ; and a fine illustration is there 
given of the magical effects produced by irriga- 
tion. Wearied with the constant view of sand 
and sagebrush, the valley in this neighborhood 



OGDEN TO SAN FRANCISCO I J 

presented a most delightful appearance. It is 
eighty miles in length and ten in breadth, and 
is occupied by agriculturists and stock raisers. 
A river flows through the valley, making it fer- 
tile and beautiful. This river runs nearly three 
hundred miles and then pours its waters into 
Humboldt Lake, which has no visible outlet. 
The railway follows the river and also the old 
immigrant trail. Here we saw many specimens 
of the "noble red men." As seen crouching or 
skulking by the railway stations he is very red, 
but by no means noble. At Winnemucca, named 
from a famous Indian chief who made his home 
in this region, other red men, their wives and 
children, were seen ; here also there was a de- 
lightful oasis and an opportunity for dropping 
postal cards to friends at home. 

We were now one hundred and thirty-eight 
miles distant from Wadsworth. This, as a whole, 
is the most uninteresting of all the deserts crossed 
in this transcontinental journey. Some distance 
beyond, at Mirage, we had a fine opportunity of 
witnessing the phenomenon peculiar to the 
desert ; the optical illusion was perfect, and it 
has often allured immigrants to seek refreshment 
where none was to be had, a picture of life in 
too many of its sad features. But Wadsworth 
is a veritable boon in this dreary waste of sand. 
We were soon in what may be called the lake 
region of Nevada. Shortly after leaving Reno 
we begin to climb the Sierra Nevada range. 
The range grows rapidly steeper ; for over fifty 
miles the ascent continues. Very grand scenery 

B 



1 8 AROUND THE WORLD 

stretches out on every side ; we are climbing to 
Summit Station, the highest point reached by 
the Southern Pacific Railway from Ogden to 
San Francisco. The road follows from Reno 
the course of the Truckee River. Towering 
rocks, foaming rivers, and pine-clad mountains 
attract, delight, and inspire the traveler. Truckee 
stands at the eastern base of the Sierra Nevada — 
the snowy saw, as the words mean — mountains. 
This is truly an Alpine village. Lumber is the 
leading industry. A fellow-traveler tells us 
that he can remember when there was a dense 
forest where now the village stands. Up we 
climb. We are now seven thousand feet above 
the sea. Here are lakes Tahoe, Donner, Webber, 
and Independence. Donner Lake is made mem- 
orable because thirty-four of the Donner party 
died of starvation on its shores in the year 1846. 
Bierstadt has made the beauty of this lake, high 
up among the Sierras, familiar by his paintings. 
Here are great mountain peaks : Mount Ralston, 
nine thousand one hundred and forty feet ; Mount 
Tallac, nine thousand seven hundred and fifteen 
feet ; Pyramid Peak, ten thousand fifty-two, 
and Job's Peak, ten thousand six hundred and 
thirty-seven. 

For forty miles there is an almost constant 
line of snow sheds to protect the road during 
winter travel. These sheds very unpleasantly 
interrupt the view, but they are a necessary evil. 
We experienced cold weather, and were glad to 
have the steam turned on to make the cars com- 
fortable. The contrast between this cold and 



OGDEN TO SAN FRANCISCO 1 9 

the heat in New York on Sunday, June 3, was 
certainly very marked. Two great engines 
dragged the train upward, while we could get 
glimpses of Donner Lake gleaming like a dia- 
mond in its setting of granite. A panorama of 
pine-clad hills and of splintered mountain peaks 
stretched around us. Soon we reached the sum- 
mit, which for many years rightly claimed the 
honor of being the highest railway point in our 
country. This is the " divide," whence flow 
streams by many courses until they unite in the 
Sacramento. 

San Francisco. — Going through Colfax and 
Sacramento in the night, we reached Oakland in 
the morning, and were soon in San Francisco. 
It was with no little emotion that the first view 
of the bay was taken. We all know that San 
Francisco Bay ranks as one of the great harbors 
of the world. It is a land-locked sheet of water 
about fifty miles long. Its shipments are great, 
and it lies at the terminus of several transconti- 
nental routes. The first view of San Francisco 
from the deck of the ferryboat is charming. It 
is truly a city set on a hill. It is the most hilly 
city I have ever seen. It cannot but command 
attention ; it is almost equally sure to elicit ad- 
miration. The older houses are florid in their 
architecture ; the newer buildings, such as the 
Mills Building and the Y. M. C. A., are plainer, 
and so in much better taste. The fires which 
have swept the city have improved it greatly, 
but there is still work for fire to do in destroy- 



20 AROUND THE WORLD 

ing the unsightly wooden buildings which re- 
main. 

How cool are the trade winds ! To one just 
from New York they were a benediction. An 
overcoat was necessary for comfort. By the time 
these winds get inland they lose their coolness, 
but at the city they are a cause for constant 
gratitude. Several squares are worthy of con- 
sideration. On Portsmouth Square, on July 8, 
1846, Captain Montgomery, of the United States 
Sloop-of-war Portsmouth, then lying in the bay, 
at the command of Commodore Sloat, raised the 
American flag. This square was then known as the 
" Yerba Buena " ; it is now Portsmouth Square, 
San Francisco. A salute of twenty-one guns 
from the Portsmouth announced the fact that the 
United States had taken possession of Northern 
California. Montgomery Street was named in 
honor of the captain. In 1849 a S1 g na l station 
was established on Telegraph Hill to give notice 
of the approach of vessels. 

Under the guidance of Pastor Hobart, of Oak- 
land, a visit was made to the Cliff House and the 
Seal Rocks. Mayor Sutro, whose name is fa- 
miliar all over the country, here has his home. 
The diplomacy by which he compelled the rail- 
way company to carry passengers for five instead 
of fifteen cents is well known in the Bast. From 
what is known as Inspiration Point a fine view 
is obtained of the Pacific Ocean and of the 
Golden Gate. The Seal Rocks and their strange 
occupants are deeply interesting. Three conical 
rocks rise from twenty to fifty feet, and on these 



OGDEN TO SAN FRANCISCO 21 

rocks often scores of these marine mammals, 
basking in the sun or tumbling into the sea, may 
be seen. These seals seem to be quite tame ; 
they are protected by law, and they seem to be 
aware that their safety is assured. 

A Trip to Oakland. — Pastors Hill and 
Hobart, of Oakland, honored the visitor with a 
call at the Palace Hotel, San Francisco, and ar- 
ranged for a trip to Oakland, and a meeting with 
the pastors of the two cities. Oakland is called 
the " Garden City." It is situated on the east 
shore of San Francisco Bay, and it slopes down 
to the waters from the mountains which rise 
back of the city. It gets its name from a grove 
of evergreen oaks in which originally it was 
built. Wealthy merchants of Oakland and San 
Francisco have beautiful villas on the foothills, 
and some of their homes will rank with the 
finest homes in the suburbs of New York. In- 
deed, Oakland is destined to become one of the 
most beautiful residence cities of the West. One 
can reach Oakland from San Francisco every 
fifteen minutes. 

Under the chaperonage of the two excellent 
pastors named, a visit was made to California 
College, at Highland Park, Oakland. At the 
college Dr. Samuel B. Morse, president and pro- 
fessor of mental and moral philosophy, met us, 
and courteously showed us over the buildings 
and part of the grounds. A good beginning has 
been made here for an enlarged work. The 
location is superb. It is two hundred feet above 



22 AROUND THE WORLD 

the bay, and overlooks the city of Oakland 
and commands a view of San Francisco Bay, 
reaching from the Golden Gate to San Jose. 
The campus contains twelve acres, beautifully 
set with trees and shrubbery. The " Mary 
Stuart Hall " is commodious and attractive. On 
the second floor is the Rockefeller Library. The 
Gray mansion was erected in 1888 by Baptist 
women in California, and a year later the " Hook 
Memorial " as a dining hall and dormitory. There 
is the beginning of a cabinet and museum. The 
cost of board and tuition is very reasonable, and 
every opportunity of acquiring knowledge will 
be afforded those who are seeking an education 
under Baptist auspices. 

Not far distant, at Berkeley, is the University 
of California. This is a State institution. It is 
an integral part, perhaps we might say the 
climax, of the public educational system of the 
State. The United States and private donors 
have united with California in furnishing facili- 
ties for instruction in literature, in science, law, 
medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, and art. The 
opportunities of instruction are open to all who 
are properly qualified, without distinction of sex. 
Here is a great institution of learning, thoroughly 
equipped in all respects with libraries, museums, 
buildings, grounds, faculties of instruction, and, 
in a word, a modern outfit for giving students the 
best facilities and the latest results in many de- 
partments. There are older institutions in the 
Hast still better equipped ; but this university is 
vigorously following their lead. 



OGDEN TO SAN FRANCISCO 23 

Seldom are two institutions of learning, the one 
a struggling denominational college and the other 
a great State institution, brought into so near 
neighborhood and so sharp a comparison. What 
in these conditions is the duty educationally of 
the various denominations? This is really a 
very serious and an equally practical question. 
We may say that these State colleges are non- 
Christian, or perhaps, in some cases, anti-Chris- 
tian. But ought we to allow them to remain in 
that attitude toward Christ and the church? 
Ought we not to rescue them from their hos- 
tility or indifference ? Can we not do it ? What 
right have Christian teachers and pastors to re- 
main indifferent to the atmosphere and instruc- 
tion in State colleges ? Ought not our boys and 
girls to Lave the best education which they can 
procure ? Will they not need in the warfare of 
life the best possible outfit? Must their denomi- 
national loyalty subject them to educational dis- 
advantages ? Is it true denominational loyalty 
to accept such disadvantages? These are im- 
portant questions. They are not asked with any 
desire to depreciate the work done in California 
College ; they are merely suggested by the visit 
to those two schools of learning. Might we not 
often do the greatest possible service to Christ 
and the church by putting into these great State 
schools as professors, men distinguished by learn- 
ing, by ability to teach, by personal magnetism, 
by social attractiveness, and by earnest Christian 
character and denominational loyalty? Where 
could men of these characteristics find a grander 



24 AROUND THE WORLD 

field? They might give at certain times each 
week lectures on Christian evidences and de- 
nominational doctrines. Such men would soon 
leaven these institutions with evangelical and 
Christian doctrine and with a knowledge of and 
regard for the distinctive principles of different 
denominations. This matter is surely worthy 
the thought of our ablest leaders. 

A Glimpse of "Chinatown." — A Christian 
man or woman does not care to see the seamy 
and dark side of life, except so far as the sight 
may stimulate desire and effort to improve the 
condition of our sinful and sorrowing fellow- 
creatures. With this desire this visit was made. 
Pastor Hobart and two other gentlemen, of whom 
one was a federal officer and the other a mu- 
nicipal officer, the former at least being also an 
earnest Christian worker, were the guides on this 
visit. Our Home Mission Chinese church is a 
veritable oasis in this fearful moral desert. We 
there saw a little company earnestly engaged in 
the study of the Bible. The leader was giving 
an exposition of Scripture, and his Chinese hear- 
ers were following him, pencil in hand, and with 
much sympathy and interest. The joss-house 
was visited ; so were opium dens and other abodes 
of sin and varied forms of indescribable wretch- 
edness. Such sights, such odors, such sins ! One 
visit is enough for a lifetime. The sight of the 
sinful and miserable women would move the 
hardest heart. One wonders that life is possible 
in such a fetid and poisonous atmosphere. It is 



OGDEN TO SAN FRANCISCO 25 



said that one poison neutralizes another, and 
that one vile odor acts as a disinfectant of other 
vile odors. Never did the work of our Home 
Mission Society seem to be more needed ; never 
did it appear to be so beneficent as in the con- 
trasts seen in these vile purlieus. 

A Meeting of Brethren. — Through the 
courtesy of Rev. Messrs. Hill and Hobart an op- 
portunity was given at Oakland to meet many 
of the pastors of that city and of San Francisco. 
The meeting was held in one of the parlors of 
the Y. M. C. A. Rev. H. L. Dietz, a German 
pastor in San Francisco, presided. Rev. Doctor 
Abbott, known and loved East and West, made 
the address of welcome. The visitor then spoke 
at length, and prayer was offered by Doctor 
Morse. This tender prayer gave great comfort 
to a traveler with many weary miles before him 
and so many dear friends left behind him. It 
would be pleasant to mention the names of all 
who were present did space permit. Their fra- 
ternal courtesy was much appreciated, and their 
kind words were an inspiration and a benedic- 
tion. The world is small after all, and one finds 
former friends everywhere, and also evidences 
that his work in one part of the field sends out 
some helpful influences to brothers working at 
remote points in their own varied spheres. Our 
cause in these two cities, and throughout Cali- 
fornia, is advancing. The brethren are taking 
heart ; they see brighter days in the near future ; 
indeed, these brighter days have already dawned. 



JAPAN REFERENCE 
LIBRARY 

NEW YORK 



26 AROUND THE WORLD 

The night has now reached its noon. Bags 
must be packed, and the last preparations made 
for sailing on the morrow. The real journey 
around the world will then begin. Then, for a 
time, farewell to family, church, and country, 
and welcome to the deep, blue Pacific, and to 
lands in and beyond the Pacific. 



Ill 

SAN FRANCISCO TO HONOLULU 

IT was with equal surprise and pleasure, on 
coming into the Palace Hotel, that a note 
was received from Mrs. M. E. Field, of the Cal- 
vary Church, New York, stating that she was at 
the Grand Hotel, and was to sail the next morn- 
ing on the "Australia," bound for Honolulu. 
Her surprise was equally great, and perhaps her 
pleasure not less, when her pastor called on her 
the next morning and informed her that he also 
was to sail on the same steamer. She was with 
a party of friends from Los Angeles, California, 
who had planned to spend a month among the 
fairy-like islands which compose the " Paradise 
of the Pacific." We were soon all on board, and 
at 10 a. m., Saturday, June 15, 1895, we sailed 
out on our journey of six days for those historic 
and now quite famous islands. One passenger 
at least bade a long good-bye to America for his 
journey of months over broad seas and conti- 
nents. He now realized that he was really off 
for his around-the-world trip, though until now 
that realization had not fully come. 

Soon we passed through the narrow strait, 
known to all the world as the "Golden Gate." 
It is impossible not to have serious reflections at 

27 



28 AROUND THE WORLD 

such a time. What perils and experiences may 
be before the traveler? When will home and 
church be seen again? Such thoughts would 
come, however brave and trustful one might 
strive to be ; but committing to Him who holds 
the waters in the hollow of his hand all who 
are dearest, we pushed out into the broad and 
blue Pacific. 

Compared with the Atlantic this sea doubtless 
deserves its name. It has been called "a lazy, 
lolling, good-natured sea," but as we entered 
upon it, it was far from being good-natured and 
lazy. It was angry, wild, and fierce. Some 
passengers could not forget the recent fate of the 
ill-starred " Colimo," and they were nervous and 
troubled to no small degree. The " Australia " 
has the name of being a bad " roller," and on 
this occasion she fully justified her bad reputation. 
She rolled constantly, and frequently the waves 
dashed over her decks. It was necessary to have 
all the chairs lashed firmly in order that passen- 
gers could keep their seats. In some cases it 
was also necessary to pass a rope in front of those 
who were seated to which they might cling to 
make their safety assured. An ominous silence 
reigned throughout the ship. The tables were 
well-nigh deserted ; and the passengers slipped 
off quietly to their cabins. A very small meal 
fully satisfied this writer, and that was eaten on 
deck ; but every other meal was taken at the 
table. When Sunday morning came silence 
still reigned over the empty decks and in the 
deserted saloon. There was no service of any 



San francisco to Honolulu 29 

kind, although there were three clergymen on 
board. 

But after about twenty-four hours had passed 
the sea became calm, and passengers who had 
not been seen since the first hour of our journey 
began to emerge from their cabins. The Pacific 
now began to justify its name. Another day 
passed and the great ocean became smooth as 
a sea of glass, and of a lovely sapphirine blue. 
No other sea is of such a beautiful color. It is 
widely different from the Atlantic. The Atlantic 
is gray, wrinkled, crabbed ; the Pacific, in its 
normal condition, is serene, blue, and sublimely 
tranquil. 

The Passengers. — There were sixty in the 
cabin. Among them was our omniscient friend, 
Rev. Joseph Cook, ll. d., who was to make his 
second trip around the world. Thirteen years be- 
fore this he made the trip, lecturing in Australia, 
in India, and in other countries ; he now proposed 
to revisit these countries. Possibly he would 
spend considerable time in Japan. All students 
of current history must be interested in the new 
Japan which is now challenging the attention of 
the civilized world. It has been said that Doc- 
tor Cook's mission is to oil the wheels of the 
universe ; this writer's humble but useful office 
on this trip was to turn the faucet and let the 
lubricating fluid flow. Perhaps there are a few 
questions which we did not fully settle ; but the 
number which we did not discuss, and in our 
opinion partially settle, is very small. Doctor 



30 AROUND THE WORLD 



Cook has a unique mission ; and nobly does he 
perform its duties. He has stood firmly for the 
harmony between science and religion ; and he 
has been a stout advocate of a conservative and 
yet progressive theology. Boston has honored 
him, and he has honored Boston. He was to 
give several lectures in Honolulu, and to be the 
guest of Chief Justice Judd, who was his class- 
mate at Yale College. 

Rev. Dr. Pease was returning to his mission 
field on the Marshall Islands, and the " Morning 
Star " was waiting in Honolulu to carry him to 
his field. There were also other missionary 
workers, both men and women, who were going 
to various fields. There were also students from 
Princeton, Yale, Harvard, and other colleges, 
who were returning to their homes in Honolulu. 
There was a party of teachers from San Fran- 
cisco, among them a young lady who received 
as a prize for popularity the tickets for the round 
trip. There was also the party from Los An- 
geles, of which Mrs. Field was one ; and there 
were musicians on their way to Australia on a 
professional tour. We had a diversified and 
altogether an interesting company. It was quite 
different in many ways from the groups one 
meets on board of the leading Atlantic liners. 

Nearing the Islands. — Day after day passed 
as we plowed our way through this glorious 
sea. Expectation was on tiptoe as we were near- 
ing the Hawaiian Islands. There was a wonder- 
ful charm in being far out on this pacific sea ; 



SAN FRANCISCO TO HONOLULU 3 1 

the stars never seemed so bright, the breezes 
never so soft and alluring. Stirring were our 
emotions when we first saw the " Southern 
Cross," and tender our gratitude, as on the morn- 
ing of the sixth day we got our first glimpse of 
Molokai. This island is widely known as the 
abode of the wretched lepers, who unfortunately 
are too numerous on these islands. All the 
morning the soft breezes kissed our cheeks. 
The air soon became laden with odors of tropical 
fruits and flowers, and birds of many kinds 
came out to greet and welcome us. It seemed 
as if we were nearing a veritable paradise as we 
approached Honolulu. We had read much of 
this picturesque and delightful land, but our 
realizations soon far surpassed our anticipations. 
Some one has expressed this wish : 

Oh, had we some bright little isle of our own, 
In the blue summer ocean, far off alone. 

Well, the United States will, we believe, soon 
have this wish realized here in these tropical 
regions. We are all watching for the island 
toward which we are making. Yonder is Dia- 
mond Head rising grandly from the sea ; it is a 
great extinct volcano. Other rocks are quickly 
seen, but they promise us nothing of the vernal 
vales which we know lie beyond. But the mo- 
ment the ship rounds the point of the famous 
headland, the fairy-like coast is revealed. Here 
are great rocks browned by the bronze of the 
lava which centuries ago flowed down their 
sides ; here is a beach of dazzling whiteness ; 



32 AROUND THE WORLD 

here are groves of cocoa palms, and everywhere 
is the glorious sea, like a huge emerald, as it 
reflects the tints from its coral bottom. Thus 
we approach Honolulu. The scene changes. 
The mountains become gloriously green ; vistas 
of Eden open to our gaze. The sea rolls in its 
long and alluring waves upon the reef. Within 
the reef the water is tranquil ; it is a tideless 
river. There lies the town. Were ever before 
such tints seen in any water ? To what shall 
they be compared ? They look as if one of the 
glorious rainbows so common in this tropical 
region had been wrecked, and all its fragments 
were lying strewn on this glorious sea. Never 
had we seen such colors on water. We may 
never see them surpassed. It was a foretaste of 
the sea of glass. 

Our students are wild with delight as their 
friends rush up the gang-plank. Look at these 
groups of Hawaiian boys in the water. They are 
great masculine — decidedly masculine — water- 
nymphs. They are out for the opportunity to 
dive for nickels which the passengers may toss 
into the water. Nickels are thrown. The boys 
dash for them, swimming, struggling, diving. 
Up they come with the nickels in their mouths. 
Other nickels are thrown, and the process is re- 
peated until the ship is docked. Yes, this is 
Honolulu. See the groups of native Hawaiians, 
barefooted boys and girls and men. See the 
women dressed in their " mother-hubbards." 
The missionary women taught their mothers to 
wear this dress in exchange for the garments 



SAN FRANCISCO TO HONOLULU 33 

which Mother Nature gave. Now these dresses 
have become a feature in the life of these islands. 
Observe the commingling of races — Chinese, 
Japanese, Portuguese, native Hawaiians, Ger- 
man, British, and American. We quickly pass 
the customs and soon are on our way to the 
hotel. It is Friday noon, June twenty-first. 
Balmy is the air ; soft and sweet is every breath. 
We are told that it would be equally balmy if 
we were landing in January instead of June. 
The long-cherished hope has reached fruition ; 
we are among the Hawaiian Islands. 

In Honolulu. — No sooner is our room se- 
cured than we are out to see the strange city. 
It is unique ; it fascinates. This writer comes, 
as he supposes, as a stranger. But a Honolulu 
welcome is an experience not soon to be for- 
gotten. Such cordiality cannot be surpassed. 
That evening calls were received from Rev. 
Douglass Putnam Birnie, pastor of the Central 
Union Church ; from Rev. T. D. Garvin, pastor 
of the Christian Church ; and on Saturday from 
Doctors Hyde and Bingham, and Mrs. Coan, the 
widow of the distinguished Dr. Titus Coan. 
Saturday a long drive was taken with Mr. Gar- 
vin through the palm-shaded streets and among 
the tropical charms of the fields, and past the 
beautiful homes of wealth. 

Then came dinner at the home of Mr. Bir- 
nie. Mr. Birnie was a student in the Union 
Theological Seminary, New York. He came 
here a few months ago from Boston. His posi- 

c 



34 around the world 

tion here is difficult and correspondingly influ- 
ential. His church is nominally a union church ; 
it is really a Congregational church. In it have 
been and are members of Baptist and several 
other churches ; but now the different denomi- 
nations are beginning to organize, and soon 
there will be many churches. Mrs. Birnie is a 
New York lady, and is socially and religiously 
a true helpmeet to her husband in his responsi- 
ble position. The pastor of this church needs 
to be wise as a serpent, harmless as a dove, and 
yet aggressive as a lion. 

Most interesting was it at table to eat for the 
first time the taro, which enters in many forms 
so largely into the food, both of the native and 
adopted Hawaiians. After dinner we drove to 
the closing entertainment of the Kamehameha 
school for girls. It is not surprising that the 
Hawaiians who were in a New York church 
some time ago smiled at the pastor's pronuncia- 
tion of that word ; he can pronounce it more 
correctly now. Deeply interesting was it to 
reflect, as one listened to the recitations, essays, 
and other exercises of these girls, that two gene- 
rations ago their fathers and mothers were naked 
savages. Here is a proof of the value of missions. 
There is now on the part of certain classes here 
criticism of the missionaries ; but let it be remem- 
bered that they, with God's help, have trans- 
formed this land. They have made parts once 
a desert, and marked by the mirage, literally 
blossom as the rose. Saturday was a busy and 
delightful day. 



SAN FRANCISCO TO HONOLULU 35 

A Busy Sunday. — Can one get away from 
work ? A Christian man in good health ought 
not to get away from work. True rest is in 
change of work and scene and not in indolence. 
Sunday, June twenty-third, was especially busy. 
One might fill columns with an account of the 
day's work and the historic associations which it 
suggested ; but here there is room for only brief 
mention. Under the guidance of Rev. O. P. 
Emerson, corresponding secretary of the Ha- 
waiian Board, whose knowledge of all that per- 
tains to these islands is encyclopedic, a visit at 
10 a. m. was made to the Sunday-school of the 
Kawaihao Church. This building was erected 
in 1839. It represents the very heart of the 
religious work here. It is intimately associated 
with the honored names of Bingham, Armstrong, 
Clarke, and Parker. Hon. W. R. Castle, just 
appointed minister to Washington, is the superin- 
tendent of the school. As we arrived he was en- 
tering on his duties for the morning. Here Rev. 
Sereno E. Bishop, the author of the recent arti- 
cles on Hawaii in the " Independent," was met ; 
also Rev. J. Kawlaune, a veteran legislator and 
once a pastor ; also the wife of Rev. J. K. Josepa, 
a man who stood heroically against the corrup- 
tions of the royalist period. Back of the church 
is the modest burial place of such missionary 
heroes as Armstrong, Castle, Cooke, and other 
fathers of the early days. 

Then we hasten to the Chinese Sunday-school. 
This mission was founded by Mr. Damon. It is 
now under the charge of his son, Mr. F. W. 



36 AROUND THE WORIJ) 

Damon, whose brother, Hon. S. M. Damon, is 
minister of finance. Here is the first Chinese 
Young Men's Christian Association of the world. 
It is most interesting to see how God widens the 
field of missionary labors. These missionaries 
came to labor for native Hawaiians, and now 
God has sent to this field thousands of Chinese, 
Japanese, and Portuguese. Next we drove to 
the Japanese mission. This work was begun in 
1888. The Lyceum was generously given to 
the work by the Waterhouse family. Then we 
passed Queen Emma Hall, where Mrs. Coleman 
started free kindergarten schools. We next 
visited the native Hawaiian church, called the 
Kaumakapili, built by the missionary, Rev. 
Lowell Smith, who for many years was the 
pastor. Mrs. B. Y. Dillingham was the super- 
intendent of the school. Mr. Emerson was the 
interpreter of the brief address which this writer 
gave here. 

Then we hastened to the Central Union 
Church, where the writer preached, the pastor, 
Rev. D. P. Birnie, leading in the worship. This 
church was recently built at a cost of one hun- 
dred and twenty-five thousand dollars; it is 
entirely out of debt. One can find few more 
intelligent and delightful congregations. Grad- 
uates of many of our leading American colleges 
are found in the audience. Here President 
Dole, Chief Justice Judd, senators, representa- 
tives, and many others prominent in the political, 
social, and business life of these islands, worship. 
This has been called the " court " church. Great 



SAN FRANCISCO TO HONOLULU $7 

care is needed at this critical time that all the 
affairs of the church be wisely managed in their 
relations to the government on the one side, and 
to the opposing elements on the other. From 
this church go the money, the brain, and the 
management of much of the missionary work in 
all the Hawaiian Islands. 

In the afternoon we visited the Portuguese 
school. This school delighted the heart, but 
we have not sufficient space to speak of it at 
length. Then we drove to the Lunalilo Home, 
which was founded by King Iyunalilo as a home 
for aged and destitute Hawaiians. Here another 
brief address was made, and Mr. Emerson again 
acted as interpreter. On our way back we took 
a look at the hospital. 

About a year ago Rev. T. D. Garvin came from 
California to Honolulu. He found that there 
was need of a church of the Disciples. Soon it 
was organized, taking simply the name Christian 
Church. He has worked heroically and success- 
fully. Already a goodly number have been bap- 
tized. A good work is going forward among the 
Japanese, and several prominent white men of 
various nationalities have confessed Christ and 
been baptized. Worship is held in what is known 
as Harmony Hall. Seldom has the writer more 
enjoyed preaching than he did here on this Sun- 
day evening. The rooms were quite full and the 
attention was close and the spirit of the service 
most tender. At the close of the service the 
Hon. and Mrs. Albert S. Willis were met. Mr. 
Willis is envoy extraordinary and minister plen- 



38 AROUND THE WORLD 

ipotentiary of the United States of America — 
such is the full title — to this Republic. They 
were present at the morning service also. Mr. 
Willis belongs to the Christian Church. He 
enjoys the confidence and esteem of all classes 
here, alike for his worth as a man and for his 
wisdom as American minister. 

Sunday was a busy day ; Monday is scarcely 
less so. The "Australia" goes back this after- 
noon to San Francisco, and all mail matter must 
soon be on board. No one is lonely in this lovely 
land. This is lotus-land indeed ; here Tennyson 
might have located his lotus-eaters. Friends are 
met constantly. " How do you do ? I heard you 
four weeks ago in your own pulpit." Another 
says, " I heard your last sermon in Boston last 
summer" ; another, "I knew you by your picture 
in the ' Christian Herald.' " To-morrow we start 
for our visit to the volcano. This journey will 
take a week ; then back for the " glorious 
Fourth"; then a lecture for the Young Men's 
Christian Association, and other addresses. 



IV 

VISITING THE VOLCANO 

WE left Honolulu on Tuesday, June 25, 
at 2 p. m., on board the little steamer 
"Kinau." The trip is toward the windward 
islands of the group, and of these Hawaii, with 
its fountain of everlasting fire, is the largest. 
The island of Hawaii gives its name to the en- 
tire group. Prof. James D. Dana, whose recent 
death has caused genuine sorrow, not only in the 
United States, but throughout the world," visited 
this island in 1841, and a second time in 1887. 
He made a careful study of the volcanoes here, as 
also those of the rest of the world. To him the 
world owes much for his careful investigations 
and his admirable descriptions. 

The passengers from Honolulu to Hilo were 
a strangely assorted company. In the steerage 
were Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese, and native 
Hawaiian men, women, and children. They 
lay about promiscuously among their bags and 
bundles. When seasick they were both an 
amusing and a pitiable assortment of humanity. 
There was also an interesting company of boys 
and girls from the Kamehameha schools, from 
Oahu College, and from still other institutions 
of learning in Honolulu. These young people 

39 



40 AROUND THE WORLD 

were of all shades of color, and of as many races ; 
one was a prince from Ponape, one of the Caro- 
line Islands. Although not of Hawaiian blood, 
an exception was made in his case, and he was 
admitted into a school intended especially for 
the children of the native Hawaiians. 

A most interesting passenger is a gentleman 
who bears the name of a distinguished family in 
Kentucky, Rev. Stephen L. Desha. This is a 
well-known Kentucky name, and the name has 
a remarkable history in connection with this 
worthy gentleman. There is a story of a wild 
life in Kentucky and elsewhere in the "States" ; 
then a grave crime was suspected ; a duel was 
fought ; then a hasty flight ; then a long silence. 
Then an American married a Hawaiian woman 
on the island of Maui. Several children were 
born ; the eldest was Stephen. When he was 
but fourteen his father died ; but the boy was 
educated in missionary schools, was early con- 
verted, and in due time was ordained as a preacher 
among the natives. His second pastorate was at 
Hilo (pronounce the vowels after the continental 
method) where he was greatly honored for his 
worth and work. He is fair-haired and light of 
complexion and has blue eyes. He laughingly 
says that the natives always speak of him as 
having a cat's eyes. He married a Hawaiian 
woman. She is now dead, but there are four 
children ; two of them quite dark, two compar- 
atively light. He had been to Honolulu to at- 
tend the meeting of the Hawaiian Board of Mis- 
sions ; he then remained two weeks to bring his 



VISITING THE VOLCANO 41 

and other children home from their schools. It 
was interesting - , and a little pathetic, to see this 
noble man with his " dusky " and motherless 
children. He is a great power in all these 
islands. His use of English is reasonably good, 
and he often acts as an interpreter and always as 
a mediator between the native Hawaiians and 
the Americans. His children constantly spoke 
English, and sang college songs familiar in all 
American schools and colleges. He fears that 
his children will entirely forget their mother 
and their mother's tongue. He was an agreeable 
companion, and his information regarding the 
islands, their strange history, and their wild tra- 
ditions, was as useful as it was interesting. 

The wife of the Rev. C. W. Hill, of Hilo, was 
another passenger, and she also was returning 
from the meeting of the Hawaiian Board. Her 
husband is pastor of the Foreign Hilo Church, 
that is, the church made up of all who are not 
Hawaiians, and including Americans, Scotch, 
English, and others who have found a home in 
Hilo. There were also native Hawaiians in the 
first cabin, some of whom were said to be stout 
royalists, and so not in sympathy with the re- 
public ; but they were submissive in their obe- 
dience and very cautious in their speech. Mr. 
Eugene Koop, of New York, who had been a 
fellow-passenger on the "Australia" from San 
Francisco, was the writer's cabin mate. There 
were Americans on their way to sugar planta- 
tions and to other places of industry in Hawaii. 

There was also with us Miss Carter, of Hon- 



42 AROUND THE WORLD 

olulu, the sister of the late Hon. Charles L. 
Carter, who visited Washington in the interests 
of the islands, and who was shot during the re- 
cent rebellion. His death saddened the people 
of all shades of political opinion. He was a bril- 
liant young man, and he left a wife and two 
young children. Miss Carter is the niece of 
Chief Justice Judd, and is an enthusiastic Ha- 
waiian. Although she has traveled in many 
countries she always returns with glowing pa- 
triotism to her island home. 

Molokai. — Soon after leaving Honolulu we 
entered the channel between the islands of Oahu 
and Molokai, where the water was rough and 
many passengers became ill. The "Kinau" is 
no doubt a great improvement on her predeces- 
sor, the "Like Like," whose passengers mostly 
camped out on deck; the "Kinau" has state- 
rooms and reasonable comforts. But it now 
rolled and pitched, and pitched and rolled, until 
there was an absence of passengers from the 
decks, and silence reigned throughout the ship. 
Before evening we passed Molokai, the mysteri- 
ous home of the exiled lepers. Leprosy abounds 
in these islands, about one out of every hundred 
natives being so afflicted. The disease is closely 
associated with other diseases, and especially 
with one other on which the curse of God pecu- 
liarly rests. The visits of sailors from many 
countries and for several generations, and the 
violation of moral laws incident to these visits, 
together with poor living and many forms of 



VISITING THE VOLCANO 43 



violation of sanitary laws, will account for the 
prevalence of this fearful disease. It seems now 
to be a taint in the Hawaiian blood. It is re- 
ceiving the most careful study of medical experts 
in all parts of the world ; there is a hospital in 
Honolulu in which experiments are constantly 
made. The disease is closely watched, and the 
Board of Health will leave no method of cure 
untried. But few Anglo-Saxons have been at- 
tacked, the victims being mostly Hawaiians, 
Portuguese, and natives of different islands in 
the Pacific; and the victims are, for the most 
part, those whose violations of sanitary and moral 
laws made them susceptible to almost any foul 
disease. The Protestant people of Honolulu — 
especially those of the missionary circles — have 
done much for the lepers ; they have built homes 
and furnished nurses and religious workers. The 
Romanists have done the minimum of labor, but 
have reaped the maximum of honor. They 
claim, and doubtless justly, the majority of the 
victims. The newspapers at the time of Father 
Damien's death gave broad hints as to his life 
and the manner in which it was believed that 
he had contracted the disease ; these hints are 
emphatically repeated here. No one wishes to 
detract from the honor due to the Roman Church 
for her work here, but neither ought any one to 
fail to give honor to Protestants, to whose liber- 
ality this place of refuge is so largely indebted, 
and who to-day furnish noble nurses and pastors 
to live with and labor for the victims of this 
fearful disease. 



44 AROUND THE WORLD 



Other Islands. — We pass near Maui, L,anai, 
and Kahoolawe. At L,ahaina on Maui we drop 
anchor. This village has been described as "a 
little slice of civilization beached on the shore of 
barbarism." It is a drowsy and dreamy village, 
with only one street, and that one with but one 
side, for the sloping sands of the sea form its 
lower edge. There are houses overhung with 
green trees and with hammocks invitingly swung 
in the verandas. It is truly a tropical scene 
which this quaint village presents. Once it was 
a favorite resort of the Kamehamehas, whose 
name is associated with all that is most heroic 
in the history of these seagirt isles. I have found 
a poem on Lahaina, from which a few character- 
istic lines are selected : 

Where the new-comer 
In deathless summer 
Dreams away troubles ; 
When the grape blossoms 
And blows its sweet bubbles ; 

Where from the long leaves 
The fresh dew is shaken ; 
Where the wind sleeps 
And where the birds waken. 

The next morning we are at Maalaea and soon 
at Makena. Yonder, far above, is Ulupalakua, 
" ripe bread-fruit for the gods." It rises two thou- 
sand feet above us, and its cool air comes down 
to temper the heat of the tropical sun. Here is 
Kawaihae, — the spelling begins to be less diffi- 
cult, — with the ruins of the great stone temple, 



VISITING THE VOLCANO 45 

or "heiau" to the gods which once stood on the 
shore. Every spot is suggestive of the great bat- 
tles of the Kamehamehas, and Mr. Desha repeats 
the stirring traditions of the wild days in the 
remote past. Near here is a great cattle ranch 
owned by an American named Morris, and near 
here are also some large sugar plantations. At 
Kealakekua, on the west coast of Hawaii, Cap- 
tain Cook was killed by the natives in 1779, and 
there a monument has been erected to him. The 
place is interesting also geologically on account 
of the great cliffs which face the sea. 

At different places in the vicinity we discharge 
freight and livestock, the latter being literally 
dropped into the sea. At one place, there being 
no docks at any of these landings, a rope was 
connected with the ship and worked by a donkey- 
engine on the shore, and mules were pushed into 
the sea, falling with a great splash. On coming 
up they struggled to get into the boat which the 
rope was hauling to the shore, but the sailors 
firmly held their heads, the rope was rapidly 
pulled and the boats with the mules, swimming 
and splashing, was speedily dragged to the shore. 
Perhaps they were more frightened than hurt, 
but they certainly were very much frightened 
and the entire process seemed very cruel. 

Hawaii. — At Kawaihae we first touched the 
island of Hawaii. This island is nearly trian- 
gular ; its greatest length from north to south is 
ninety-three miles, and its extreme width is 
eighty miles. Its mountain slopes, as a rule, are 



46 AROUND THE WORLD 

gentle ; it has five volcanic mountains, and is 
marked by an almost entire absence of rivers, 
except on the north and northeast slopes. The 
side of the island as we approach Hilo is a series 
of magnificent precipices ; sometimes they over- 
hang the sea ; sometimes they are perpendicular. 
One's gaze is fascinated by this remarkable coast- 
line as the boat advances. We soon reach, as the 
evening of the second day comes on, the glorious 
valley of Waipio. Between green and lofty 
heights are verdant valleys. In a distance of 
about sixty miles there are ninety-two ravines, 
and in each ravine there is a torrent rushing 
down to the sea. Some of these torrents are 
superb cascades, one of them making a leap of 
eleven thousand seven hundred feet from the 
clouds and falling into a forest of bread-fruit 
trees. After every heavy shower these streams 
leap over the rocks and fall into the deep valley. 
One traveler speaks of this region as a veritable 
realization of the dream of the lotus-eaters as 
given by Tennyson : 

In the afternoon they came unto a land, 

In which it seemed always afternoon. 

All round the coast the languid air did swoon, 

Breathing like one that hath a weary dream. 

Full-faced above the valley stood the moon ; 

And like a downward smoke, the slender stream 

Along the cliff to fall and pause and fall did seem. 

A land of streams ! Some, like a downward smoke, 
Slow-dropping veils of thinnest lawn, did go ; 
And some thro' wavering lights and shadows broke, 
Rolling a slumbrous sheet of foam below. 



VISITING THE VOLCANO 47 

They saw the gleaming river seaward flow 

From the inner land : far off, three mountain-tops, 

Three silent pinnacles of aged snow, 

Stood sunset-flushed : and, dew' d with showery drops, 

Up-clomb the shadowy pine above the woven copse. 

In the main this description is accurate ; it 
would seem as if it had been written for this 
place. Near here the boat stopped, and in the 
darkness, tossing about in the landing boat, a 
lady with nurse and baby left us. She with her 
baby in her arms was to ride a horse for two 
hours over the gulches to her home. She left us 
joyfully ; indeed, the fate which one should en- 
counter would have to be fearful not to be better 
than tossing about on our boat as she lay here in 
the trough of the waves. 

Arriving at Hilo. — We try to hold our- 
selves in our berths by pressing our knees on 
one side and our backs on the other as we voyage 
on to Hilo, our port of destination. The boat is 
advertised to make the trip in twenty-four hours, 
but it took us thirty-six. The boats are espe- 
cially intended to carry freight, and they often 
wait long to load and to unload. At 2 A. m. we 
were aroused. This was Hilo. Down the sway- 
ing ladder we descended and into the dancing 
boat we jumped or fell. It is abominable that 
there is no wharf at the second largest place on 
the Hawaiian Islands. It is no easy matter to 
be very amiable at 2 A. m. in these circumstances. 
Up another swaying ladder we climbed, then 
into a carriage for the hotel. There was no one 



48 AROUND THE WORLD 

to receive us. We tried a door ; it opened. We 
entered; it was a bedroom, — good. We tried 
another door; it opened; another bedroom, — good 
again. We took possession, went to bed, and 
soon were asleep. At seven we were up, and at 
eight we were in the lumbering stage-coach for 
the Volcano House. 

The Crater of Kixauea. — Until recently 
the trip from Hilo to the crater of Kilauea was 
a horseback ride of thirty miles, but now there 
is a reasonably good road the entire distance. It 
was made and is kept in repair by the political 
and other prisoners. Through the straggling 
town of Hilo we drive ; then past acres of sugar 
plantations ; then through other acres of coffee 
fields. Slowly we climbed. Wonderful was 
the luxuriance of this tropical forest. Great va- 
rieties of tropical trees were on each hand, and 
parasitical plants of many kinds clustered in 
rank growths around the trees. In four hours 
we reached the Half-way House, where luncheon 
was served and the horses were changed. The 
round-trip tickets include all expenses until we 
return to Honolulu. This house was kept by a 
young man who once lived near Chicago. Could 
anything be more lonely than his life now ? We 
passed huts of a few feet square in which natives 
lived. Then we reached tasteful and really 
pretty homes in a clearing. The head of the 
house came out for his mail. Sometimes he 
was a Portuguese, but usually he was an Ameri- 
can. See his ornate grounds, the rich tropical 



VISITING THE VOLCANO 49 

plants with their great leaves and bright colors. 
See also his tree-fern walks, — a soft, dry, and 
comparatively durable walk, — his neat fences 
and gates. He has a little coffee patch near the 
cottage, and, within, an American wife with her 
children. It was all very strange ; it seemed 
almost a dream. See the joy of these men as 
they get the foreign mail, a mail from the 
" States." How much these letters mean ! How 
much this local paper from the old home and 
the other papers from the great city! Up we 
climb ; the seats are getting hard and our backs 
tired. But here we are at the Volcano House. 

It is a good hotel, and is under the direction 
of the steamship company. We are on the brink 
of the crater of Kilauea. We have climbed four 
thousand four hundred and forty feet above the 
sea level since eight o'clock this morning. The 
air is very bracing and cool. Overcoats while 
riding were comfortable. We notice fires in the 
office and parlor of the hotel on this Thursday, 
June 27, in this island of the Pacific below the 
Tropic of Cancer, a wonderful change in the air 
since we left Hilo. It is no wonder that the 
people come up here from all parts of the coun- 
try for coolness and rest. Some of our party are 
to return with the first stage-coach of the morn- 
ing, so we hasten to visit the crater. Let us 
stand and look about us before we descend. 
Yonder is Mauna Kea, thirteen thousand eight 
hundred and five feet high, crowned with snow, 
Kea meaning white. Here is Mauna Loa, thir- 
teen thousand six hundred and seventy-five feet, 

D 



50 AROUND THE WORLD 

on whose top is an old crater which is occasion- 
ally active. Here is Hualalai, meaning hot 
mountain, and at our feet is Kilauea. 

One is tempted to enlarge on the history of 
these mountains, especially on that of Kilauea, 
with Professor Dana's charming history as a 
guide, but only a few facts will be given. Prof. 
C. H. Hitchcock visited the crater in 1886, 
and in "Science" of 1887 he gives an account 
of his visit. The recorded history of the crater 
begins with August, 1823, when some missiona- 
ries visited it. The reader is referred to Professor 
Dana's volume published by Dodd, Mead & Co., 
New York. 

From our position at the hotel we see a lake 
of black lava lying nine hundred feet below, 
which is nine miles in circumference. At its 
remoter end is a pot from which smoke is ascend- 
ing in great volumes. Down the zigzag trail 
the guide leads three of us, another being on 
horseback. Over the sea of lava in its various 
formations we pass, a sea that once was of seeth- 
ing fire. We feel the lava hot beneath our feet. 
Under this crust is imprisoned the molten mass 
which often has spouted forth its streams of fire 
from its terrible fountains below. In 1880 lava 
streams were thrown hundreds of feet into the 
air. But on July 7, 1891, the crater settled six 
hundred feet below its ordinary level. On De- 
cember 6, 1894, the fire last appeared ; since 
then the volcano has not been active. It has 
been, so to speak, " on strike " since that date. 
Some of the natives say that the goddess Pele, 



VISITING THE VOLCANO 5 1 

the patroness of the crater, is in sympathy with 
the deposed Liliuokalani. But as one looks at 
this lava lake, or into the awful inferno of the 
crater, he can well imagine what it all must be 
when fully active. Steam still rises from fis- 
sures, and pieces of wood burned as we stuck 
them into the blow-holes. Leaping over the 
crevices, passing fiery blow-holes, we finally 
came to the brink of the crater, where waves of 
liquid fire often dash on the shore. This is the 
corner known as " Halemaiimaii" " the house of 
everlasting fire." When this crater is doing its 
best it utterly dwarfs all others. Then Vesuvius 
and ^Stna are a child's bonfire compared with 
this terrific sea of liquid fire and flame. 

The next morning we visited the extinct 
crater Kilaueaiki, iki meaning little. This is a 
crater of great interest. The extinct crater of 
Haleakala, " the house of the sun," is the largest 
extinct crater in the world, as Kilauea is the 
largest active volcano. This extinct one is said 
to rear its dome ten thousand feet above the sea. 
Here in the midst of these terrific monsters of 
nature, one is profoundly impressed with the 
ignorance of even the most advanced science 
regarding these mysteries. To this region it is 
a journey of only two weeks from New York 
and three from Europe, and soon, without doubt, 
it will be a favorite resort for tourists from all 
parts of the world. Here the mighty power 
and the sublime majesty of " the Creator of the 
ends of the earth" are impressively seen. 



V 

HIIX) AND THE ISLANDS 

RETURN TO HIIX).— On Saturday morn- 
ing, June 29, through the courtesy of Dr. 
(Miss) Frances Wetmore, who studied medicine 
in Philadelphia, and who now practises in Hilo, 
the return to Hilo was made in her carriage, 
drawn by fleet ponies. This was a welcome 
change from the rough stage-coach. It also 
gave an additional day at the crater and an 
opportunity for a carriage ride in the vicinity. 
Hilo ranks next in size to Honolulu, the popula- 
tion of the town being three thousand and that 
of the district above five thousand. Its houses 
are half hidden among palms and bread-fruit 
trees. Rain falls here with great frequency, and 
the entire appearance of the place is tropical to 
an unusual degree. Perhaps it is the most beau- 
tiful of Hawaiian hamlets. A crescent row of 
houses faces the shore. It is said that many of 
the people have little else to do than 

To watch the crisping ripples on the beach, 
The tender curving lines of creamy spray. 

On the way we had the opportunity of exam- 
ining specimens of breadfruit, mango, guava, 
banana, papaya, palm, tree-fern, rubber tree, the 

52 



HILO AND THE ISLANDS 53 

indigo plant, bamboo, and still other productions 
of this luxuriant tropical climate. Dr. Wetmore 
was born on the island, and has been a careful 
student of botany as well as of medicine. 

Almost immediately upon our arrival, through 
the courtesy of Rev. C. W. Hill and Rev. Stephen 
Desha, horses were provided, and, accompanied 
by these excellent friends, we visited the Rain- 
bow Waterfall, saw the flume in which the sugar- 
cane is quickly borne by water to the mills, and 
the three hills which once were craters, and then 
we galloped off to Cocoanut Island. What a 
fine dash we made with our ponies as we reached 
the hard sand on the crescent beach ! Did we 
race ? Well, we soon reached the island. It is 
just across the bay from Hilo, and it is a gem of 
beauty. Its Hawaiian name is Mokuola, a name 
which means "island of health or life." This 
name was given it because of a rock which was 
supposed to be possessed of health-giving proper- 
ties. The superstition was, and perhaps is, that 
any one who was ill would be immediately 
healed by swimming three times under water 
around this rock. Some natives come even now 
and make the trial, expecting to be cured of 
various diseases. Tradition says that Kalaniku- 
pule, the last king of Oahu, came to this island, 
slew the king's warriors, and bore away his 
daughter to become his bride. 

We saw also the great lava fields of Hilo. In 
1880 Mauna L,oa sent out for nine months a 
river of redhot lava which flowed toward Hilo 
and the sea. Its progress was slow, but it pushed 



54 AROUND THE WORLD 

forward. Visitors came in great numbers and 
camped near. The air quivered, the forests 
blazed, the dreadful river flowed toward the 
town. Hilo was in terrible danger, and the 
people lived in awful suspense, ready at a mo- 
ment's notice to leave their homes. The ignorant 
and superstitious believe that the town was saved 
through the intercession of the late Princess 
Ruth Keelikolani, who made a pilgrimage to 
the lava stream and paid propitiatory offerings 
by sacrificing swine to Pele, the goddess of the 
volcano. The stream suddenly ceased to flow 
after having made a devastating track of nearly 
fifty miles. 

Sunday in Hilo. — Hilo is a restful place, 
away from the noisy world. Its chief event is 
the weekly arrival from Honolulu of the steamer, 
with news of the outer world. But some men 
get rest in work. It was arranged before going 
to the volcano that the writer should preach in 
Hilo on Sunday, June 30. Why not preach ? It 
is a joy to exalt Christ and to be of any help to 
men. At quarter past ten a short address was 
delivered in the Portuguese Sunday-school, the 
pastor, Rev. R. K. Baptiste, translating. At 
half past ten another address in the old native 
Hawaiian Church, the pastor, Rev. Stephen L. 
Desha, being interpreter. 

This is the old church in which the honored 
and now sainted "Father" Titus Coan preached. 
This ground is historic. Near the church came 
the natives, two generations ago, to a great grass 



HILO AND THE ISLANDS 55 

tabernacle, to give up their idols, to hear the gos- 
pel, and to receive Christ. They remained a 
month at a time in a feast of tabernacles. A 
continuous revival, such as has never been seen 
since Pentecost, except in the Baptist mission 
among the Telugus, was enjoyed. Thousands 
confessed Christ. "Father" Coan would often 
preach nearly all day. To the natives he often 
seemed more of a deity than a man. He and 
"Father" Lyman sleep in the cemetery near the 
church. His widow, the second Mrs. Coan, lives 
in Honolulu. The stories of his preaching tours 
read like the records of another Apostle Paul. 
Death and emigration have reduced the popula- 
tion, but Mr. Desha ministers to a noble com- 
pany of natives in this church. 

At eleven the service began in the " foreign " 
church ; here Americans, Scotchmen, — who are 
very successful business men here, — and other 
English-speaking Christians worship. About a 
year ago Mr. Hill became the pastor, coming 
from California to take up the work. He holds 
services in the afternoon at a ranch some dis- 
tance out of the town. In the evening the four 
churches, Portuguese, Hawaiian, Japanese, and 
English-speaking, met in "Father" Coan's old 
church and the writer spoke at considerable 
length, his remarks being translated the next 
Sunday by Pastors Baptiste and Desha, and the 
Japanese pastor, to their respective peoples. The 
singing of a choir of native Hawaiian boys was 
truly fine. The Hawaiians are naturally musical. 
It was not an idle Sunday, but a happy one. 



56 AROUND THE WORLD 

It was a great pleasure to meet at the service 
and elsewhere Rev. Charles H. Wetmore, m. d., 
the father of Dr. Frances Wetmore. He came 
from New London, Conn., and Mrs. Wetmore 
from the Berkshire region, in 1849. He has 
done noble service here for both body and soul. 
He has made a careful study of the flowers, the 
trees, and the fish in Hawaiian waters, and in all 
these matters he is recognized as a high author- 
ity. 

On Monday morning we hastened to the sugar 
mill of Mr. C. C. Kennedy, one of the successful 
Scotchmen of whom mention was made. We 
saw the whole process of sugar making, from the 
crushing of the cane to the perfected product. 
Mr. Kennedy has discovered methods of greatly 
reducing labor and materially saving wastage. 
He is as active as a Christian as he is enterpris- 
ing and successful as a business man. So great 
was the company on the dock to say "good-bye" 
that one almost felt as if he were leaving home. 
A more hospitable people than one meets here 
can be met nowhere, it is safe to say. I shall 
not readily forget the good-bye of the Hawaiian 
pastor, Rev. J. S. Kalanaw, who was the associate 
pastor with "Father" Coan. He kissed my hand 
again and again as we parted. 

The trip back to Honolulu was marked by the 
usual rolling and pitching of the "Kinau " amid 
these channels. The steamship company ought 
to do better for its passengers. It is abominable 
that they should be constantly aroused by the 
lowering and raising of the anchor ; but the cli- 



HIU) AND THE ISLANDS 57 

max was reached when a lot of squealing swine 
were put on board, making night hideous with 
their porcine music. We are hastening to Hon- 
olulu to keep there the "glorious Fourth," for 
which great preparations are being made, and 
hoping to catch on our arrival a mail steamer 
for Victoria. Regarding the island of Hawaii, as 
we leave it we may almost say in " Howard 
Glendon's " exaggerated words : 

I go ; but I have had 
At least a little while in Paradise, 
With all my heart anear my eyes, 
And this shall make me glad. 

Sensitive Points. — It is no easy matter to 
avoid "snags" in preaching, or in delivering 
any public address in Honolulu. This fact Dr. 
Joseph Cook learned to his sorrow in making 
his Fourth of July speech. In almost any audi- 
ence are found Britons, Germans, native Ha- 
waiians, American-Hawaiians, and native Amer- 
icans. The Hawaiians, native and American, 
are decided royalists or equally decided repub- 
licans; and the native resident or visiting Amer- 
icans, are either decided American Democrats or 
equally decided American Republicans. Of sev- 
eral of these classes, some are and some are not 
annexationists. Seldom does a man speak any- 
where when so much self-control, self-poise, en- 
tire fair-mindedness, and occasional reticence are 
necessary. Honolulu is in this respect a very 
cosmopolitan city ; but in some other respects it 
possesses many of the qualities of village life. 



58 AROUND THE WORLD 

The English-speaking population is relatively 
small, and what one knows all are likely soon to 
know. When mingling in social and religious 
circles a great degree of self-restraint in speech 
and action is an absolute necessity. I have met 
Hawaiians, native and American, who are stout 
royalists. The feeling on all the points involved 
is deep and sensitive. I have seen American- 
Hawaiian women turn their backs on American- 
Hawaiians who had spoken or written against 
the deposed queen. On the other hand, I have 
seen Hawaiian republicans look askance on 
those known to be in sympathy with the de- 
feated royalists. 

Revolutions seem to be the normal condition 
of tropical republics ; rumors of uprisings against 
the republic are in all the newspapers and in 
many conversations. One man said: "I have al- 
ready been through several revolutions of greater 
or less magnitude, and I am prepared for another 
should it come at any moment." The ex-queen 
is not without supporters and even admirers. 
Some of this class are turbulent spirits who have 
nothing to lose, and perhaps something to gain, 
by a revolution ; some are men who are willing 
to do anything except honest work ; some are 
men who fed royally at the public crib in the old 
days and who are now outside the breastworks ; 
some are men who love imperialism and hate all 
forms of republicanism ; some of the women who 
are supporters of the ex-queen were her school- 
mates in the early days and cherish for her 
no little affection ; and some, both men and 



HILO AND THE ISLANDS 59 

women, honestly believe that she was greatly 
wronged, and they now desire to see her restored 
to the palace and the throne. Those who oppose 
her believe that her title to the throne was 
always in doubt, and that her alliance with the 
opium and lottery rings, her insane attempt to 
overthrow the Liberal Constitution which she 
had solemnly sworn to uphold, and many ele- 
ments in her character, show that she was utterly 
unfit to rule. They believe that her effort to 
clothe herself with absolute power made her 
guilty of treason. They also affirm that the 
pure and unmixed Hawaiians are not capable 
of ruling these islands. These natives are kind, 
amiable, easy-going, laughter-loving children of 
nature. 

The question is, Who shall rule these islands? 
Shall they be ruled by the fourteen thousand 
five hundred Chinese, or by the twenty thousand 
Japanese, or by the eight thousand five hundred 
Portuguese, mostly ignorant Catholics, unable to 
read or write in any language, or by the English- 
speaking people, numbering in all about ten 
thousand? That was the problem before the 
people on July 4, 1894. It was a very serious 
problem, and to its solution the best men of 
Hawaii gave their ripest thought. The Repub- 
lic of Hawaii was the result ; and it must be 
admitted that, taking all the conditions into 
account, the constitution shows statesmanship of 
a high order. In some respects it is an improve- 
ment on that of the United States. It limits 
the suffrage for representatives to all male citi- 



60 AROUND THE WORLD 

zens of twenty years, " who can fluently speak, 
read, and write the English or Hawaiian lan- 
guage" ; and voters for senators must in addition 
to this educational qualification, have a money 
income of six hundred dollars, or possess real 
estate in Hawaii worth fifteen hundred dollars, 
or personal property worth three thousand dol- 
lars. There are stringent provisions regarding 
the naturalization of foreigners, so that no large 
number of Asiatics can speedily become citizen- 
ized. 

Men of very high character are in the govern- 
ment. President Dole is a native of Hawaii, the 
son of honored missionaries ; next, perhaps, in 
influence in shaping policies is Hon. Iyorrin 
Thurston, who was premier in the reform gov- 
ernment under the monarchy, an able lawyer 
and an experienced diplomat ; and it is necessary 
only to mention the names of Samuel M. Damon, 
minister of finance ; W. O. Smith, attorney 
general ; F. M. Hatch, minister of foreign affairs ; 
J. A. King, an Englishman, minister of the inte- 
rior, and Chief Justice Judd, son of the noble 
missionary physician, Dr. G. P. Judd, to show 
the character of the men who are at the head of 
affairs in this island republic. President Dole 
enjoys the confidence and esteem of all the 
people alike for his worthy character and his 
recognized ability. Annexation is the hope of 
these men, but they are not anxious to hasten 
unduly this consummation. They wish to make 
this republic more and more worthy of union 
with the greater republic. Let us give them our 



HILO AND THK ISLANDS 6l 

sympathy and confidence, and let us hope and 
pray that the cause of God and man may be 
greatly prospered on these interesting and historic 
Hawaiian Islands. 

This and That. — There are twelve islands 
which make the group known as the Hawaiian 
Islands. Four are simply barren rocks. Of the 
remaining eight, the four larger ones — Hawaii, 
Maui, Oahu, and Kauai — are agricultural and 
pastoral, and Molokai, Lanai, Niihau and Ka- 
hoolawe are given up almost entirely to pasturage. 

The Hawaiian language has only twelve let- 
ters, and each syllable ends in a vowel. The 
alphabet begins with the vowels, a, e, z\ 0, u. 
The only consonants are £, /, w, /z, and p. 
There is a gently aspirated h and the vocalic w. 
The language is very musical. 

The native people live usually in frame houses ; 
the Japanese occasionally in grass or fern houses. 
All the people dress in American or European 
garments. Many white women, for a part of the 
day at least, as well as the natives, wear the 
ho/oka, or " mother-hubbard " gown ; it is worn 
without a belt. Natives now are rarely seen 
only half-clad. 

The birds' nest fern is very noticeable on the 
way from the Volcano House to Hilo. It is 
found far up in the highest trees, and is often 
larger than a bushel basket. 

The gold currency is United States coin. The 
only paper currency of the islands is government 
treasury notes of ten, twenty, fifty, one hundred, 



62 AROUND THE WORLD 

and five hundred dollars. The smallest silver 
coin is ten cents, but American five-cent pieces 
are taken everywhere. 

Japanese women, barefooted, with their loose 
garments, and each with a child on her back, 
are frequently seen. Hawaiian, American, and 
other women ride their horses astride. Those 
who wish to be au fait wear the gorgeously 
colored pati. This is really a beautiful riding 
habit, but many wear their ordinary dress and 
yet ride astride. 

The Hawaiian Islands are of volcanic origin. 
Coral reef formations are found on parts of nearly 
all the islands, but they do not encircle any. L,a 
Perouse, Vancouver, and other noted voyagers 
have visited these isles. The people were and 
are amiable and kind ; they were waiting to re- 
ceive Christianity. 

Mosquitoes are here in two varieties, one for 
the day and one for the night. When the day 
mosquito retires on his laurels the night mosquito 
comes forth for conflict. Honolulu is as bad as 
New Jersey in this respect, but it is positively 
affirmed that in the primitive days there were no 
mosquitoes here, and that they were introduced 
in 1826 from Mexico by the ship Wellington. 
Cockroaches also were imported, and in 1836 the 
centipede. Truly the Hawaiian Islands were a 
paradise before the many and varied " vices of 
civilization " were introduced. 

The Hawaiian Islands were named the Sand- 
wich Islands by Captain Cook, in honor of his 
patron, the Earl of Sandwich, then First Lord 



HILO AND THE ISLANDS 63 

of the Admiralty. The natives, however, always 
called them "Hawaii nei pae aina," a collect- 
ive term meaning " these Hawaiian Islands." 
Their position is nearly equidistant from Central 
America, Mexico, California, the northeast coast, 
on the one side, and the Russian domain, Japan, 
China, and the Philippine Islands on the other. 
This pin-point republic is a fulcrum by which 
all the leading nations of the world may be 
moved. 

Among the mountains on the island of Hawaii 
wild dogs are still found. Once wild goats were 
there by thousands, and the natives derived a 
good income from their skins, but the dogs have 
destroyed the goats. They have also been the 
enemy of the sheep ranches, but now a vigorous 
fight against the dogs is greatly reducing their 
numbers. Wild hogs are still found, and an ex- 
perienced hunter said that he would rather meet 
a wild bull than a wild boar. 

The cloud effects all over the islands are won- 
derful. The moisture, the tradewinds, and the 
bright sunshine combine to produce these beau- 
tiful pictures. 

Honolulu is a city of telephones. It is jok- 
ingly said that the women ask " Central " 
whether their bonnets are on straight. 

Near Hilo are still seen the stones on which 
human beings were offered in sacrifice. 

The Hawaiian Band is an attraction at Hono- 
lulu. It was established by the Hon. J. O. Domi- 
nis, the husband of the ex-queen. Its musical 
skill is largely due to Mr. H. Berger, who was sent 



64 AROUND THK WORLD 

here by the Prussian Government in 1872, at 
the request of King Kalakaua. Professor Berger 
left during our visit to rejoin his old regiment ; 
he is expected to return to Honolulu. 

Old Punch Bowl is a sort of domesticated 
crater just back of the town. 

The clouds are often pierced by the jagged 
rocks, the sierras or saws, behind the city, and 
they give forth their rain very frequently. These 
showers have been poetically called " liquid 
sunshine." 

The island of Maui has been aptly called the 
" Switzerland of the Hawaiian Islands," and 
Kauai the "Garden Isle." Its so-called "bark- 
ing sands," because of the curious sound which 
they give forth when trodden on, are a strange 
phenomenon. 

The mynah is an impertinent bird whose 
strange noises are not conducive to comfort. 

The general growing of coffee is the revival 
of an early industry which promises great re- 
sults in the near future. 

The algeroba tree bears pods which are food 
for horses. It is also a living wood-pile, giving 
a great degree of heat. 

Beggars are rarely seen on the islands ; where 
Protestantism is dominant, poverty is rare. 

There are absolutely no snakes on the Ha- 
waiian Islands. A man was recently caught by 
the government officials trying to bring in 
snakes, but he was obliged to destroy them. 
There are, however, some scorpions. 



VI 

HONOLULU AGAIN 

We have had enough of action, and of motion we, 

Roll' d to starboard, roll' d to larboard, when the surge was 

seething free, 
Where the wallowing monster spouted his foam-fountains 

in the sea. 

Let us swear an oath, and keep it with an equal mind, 
In the hollow Lotus-land to live and lie reclined 
On the hills like gods together, careless of mankind. 

NOTHING could better express our feelings 
on our return to Honolulu after our trip 
to the volcano than the first of these stanzas. 
We would not like to make the second stanza 
our creed, although on these Hawaiian Islands 
it has more appropriateness than in any other 
place we have ever visited. 

The Iolani Palace. — One of the notable 
places in Honolulu is the Iolani Palace, as it 
was formerly called, but which under the republic 
is known as the Executive Building. It was 
completed in 1883 at a cost of three hundred 
and forty thousand dollars. The interior is 
fitted up on a grand scale, being finished in kow 
and koa woods, native woods which are highly 
esteemed. This building was the palace of the 

e 65 



66 AROUND TH£ WORtD 

deposed Queen Liliuokalani (pronounced Lee- 
lee-wo-ka-la-nee), who succeeded her brother, 
Kalakaua (Ka-la-kau-a), as sovereign of Hawaii. 
In one corner of this building the deposed queen 
is confined as a political prisoner (1895). She 
still enjoys many privileges ; she has her maids 
to wait upon her ; she has beautiful rooms in 
which to live, and she is at liberty to walk in a 
certain portion of the grounds, but of this privi- 
lege she does not often take advantage. 

The writer chanced to see her. In his igno- 
rance he walked out on the veranda in front of 
her rooms. Some of her maids were seen at the 
window ; a few more steps were taken and she 
was seen. She did not seem to regard the 
stranger's presence as an intrusion, and a glance 
of salutation was exchanged. Just then the 
guard appeared and reminded the visitor that 
this part of the building was not open to the 
public. Appropriate apology was offered, and 
the walk was continued in another direction. 
In this accidental way a desired object was ac- 
complished, and certainly no harm was done. 
As is to be expected, the ex-queen has grown 
rapidly older-looking in these recent years. She 
has among Americans and American-Hawaiians 
here some hearty admirers and supporters. All, 
in some sense, pity her. They believe that she 
is the victim of a bad system of past government, 
of bad advisers, and of defective moral character. 
There is a general impression that she will at 
no very distant day receive some kind of a par- 
don and so be granted fuller liberty. She is, to 



HONOLULU AGAIN 67 

say the least, an interesting character in the his- 
tory of our times. 

In a room in the lower part of this building 
the legislature meets. It is now in session. 
The speaker is a native Hawaiian and the pro- 
ceedings are in both languages, all remarks 
being translated with wonderful quickness and 
skill by Mr. Willcox ; but the necessity of making 
these translations greatly delays the proceedings. 
The senate meets in a chamber on the floor 
above. Both bodies are small, and the proceed- 
ings suggest the work of committees rather than 
the deliberations of houses of legislation. Presi- 
dent Dole and other officials have rooms in this 
building. Strange thoughts must come into the 
mind of the ex-queen as she watches those who 
visit the building and learns of the deliberations 
in what was once her palace. 

Opposite this former palace is what until lately 
was the Government Building. Now it is known 
as the Judiciary Building. It is a concrete 
structure of considerable architectural merit. It 
contains various department offices, and the su- 
preme court and judicial chambers. Chief Jus- 
tice Judd, whom it was our pleasure to meet 
several times, was presiding on the occasion of 
our visit. In front of this building stands an 
imposing bronze statue of Kamehameha the 
Great, in feather helmet and robes of state. It 
is said that the likeness to the founder of the 
Hawaiian monarchy is perfect. He is called the 
Napoleon of the islands. His conquests were 
numerous, his bravery heroic, and his success 



68 AROUND THE WORLD 

complete. The reliefs on the side of the statue 
represent some of his great victories. His name 
is one to conjure with in all the islands which 
he conquered and over which he ruled. On the 
occasion of our visit the helmet and robes were 
resplendent in a new coating of gold leaf. It is 
the policy of the government to do honor to this 
hero's memory, and so to minister to the natural 
pride of the native Hawaiians. 

This great king chose Honolulu, meaning 
" the sheltered slope," as the seat of his govern- 
ment, and his skill discovered a channel through 
the reef into this bay, which is really the only 
good harbor on the group of islands. He en- 
couraged ships to visit this harbor ; indeed, it is 
said that before the harbor was surveyed he went 
out with his great double canoe and towed visit- 
ing ships inside the reef, and was thus the first 
pilot into the harbor of Honolulu, as he was the 
greatest chieftain of the Hawaiian race. 

Buildings, Schools, and Parks. — The opera 
house, near the Judiciary Building, was recently 
destroyed by fire and has not yet been rebuilt. 
The Queen's Hospital, built in i860, in honor 
of Queen Emma, by Kamehameha IV., is out 
a short distance from the buildings just named. 
The Avenue of Palms, leading up to the en- 
trance, will at once attract the attention of the 
visitor. Lunalilo Home was founded by King 
Lunalilo for aged and destitute Hawaiians. Not 
far from it is Oahu College, whose commence- 
ment was celebrated a few days ago. This insti- 



HONOLULU AGAIN 69 

tution was founded as a place of education for 
the children of missionaries, but its work has 
greatly widened. It now includes in its teaching 
all classes who can avail themselves of its in- 
struction. It prepares young men for Yale, Har- 
vard, and other colleges. 

This is a college community. Probably there 
is not a city of the size of its English-speaking 
population in the United States which has so 
many young men in colleges as Honolulu. The 
whole city was stirred up recently when about 
fifteen students returned on one ship to spend 
their vacation at their island home. The influ- 
ence of the missionaries has created among their 
sons, grandsons, and others, a taste for the high- 
est education of the times. I have enjoyed ex- 
cellent opportunities, under the guidance of Dr. 
C. M. Hyde, who is an authority on all educa- 
tional, as well as political and other matters here, 
of visiting the Kamehameha schools. These 
schools are on the west side and at a little dis- 
tance from the center of the city. They were 
founded under the will of Mrs. Bernice Pawahi 
Bishop, who was the heiress of the late Prin- 
cess Ruth, the sister of Kamehameha V. The 
schools are richly endowed and admirably con- 
ducted. The appearance, deportment, and ability 
of the young men and women, whose parents two 
generations ago were naked savages, are a re- 
markable testimony to the value of missionary 
work and to the power of Christian truth. In 
addition to the regular course of instruction, 
training is given to Hawaiian boys and girls in 



70 AROUND THE WORTJD 

useful trades. These school buildings are per- 
fectly adapted architecturally to a climate in 
which no fires are necessary for comfort, and they 
are superbly equipped with teachers of high 
grade. The money for their support is the gift 
of the united lives of an American man and a 
Hawaiian woman. Of the Bishop Museum I 
shall speak later. 

Waikiki is about three miles from the city and 
is beautifully situated on the beach in the direc- 
tion of Diamond Head. Street cars connect it 
with the city. Kapiolani Park is a part of Wai- 
kiki. A picnic excursion with friends of the 
Christian Church to this beach was very enjoy- 
able. The bathing is excellent, the shore being 
of pure white sand and the water never too cold 
for comfort. This stanza, from a poem on Wai- 
kiki by Rollin M. Daggett, will scarcely be called 
an exaggeration by any one who has spent an 
afternoon at this cool, quiet, and poetic place : 

O Waikiki ! O scene of peace ! 

O home of beauty and of dreams ! 
No haven in the isles of Greece 

Can chord the harp to sweeter themes ; 
For houris haunt the broad lanais, 

While scented zephyrs cool the lea, 
And, looking down from sunset skies, 

The angels smile on Waikiki. 

The waves beat in rhythmic regularity on the 
shining sands of this beach, and the vine-clad 
porches furnish needed shade. Here is the spot 
for the lover of the dolce far niente in these sea- 



HONOLULU AGAIN 7 1 

girt isles. Excursion by rail to Pearl Harbor is 
one of the attractions for visitors to Honolulu. 

But perhaps no attraction surpasses a visit to 
the Pali, meaning "precipice," in the Nunanu 
Valley, meaning, "the valley of the cool ascent." 
There is a good road from the city to the Pali, 
six miles distant. By the courtesy of Rev. and 
Mrs. Birnie the trip was made as their guest. 
The road passes among the villas in this charm- 
ing valley ; it crosses bridges where sudden 
freshets often rush from the mountain to the 
sea ; passes gardens which resemble Japanese 
landscapes ; passes great jungles of cacti and 
bamboo ; passes the home of Chief Justice Judd 
and that which belonged to his noble father ; 
passes gray-walled cemeteries, in one of which is 
the royal mausoleum where the Kamehamehas 
are buried, among them the late Princess Keeli- 
kolani, the last of the line ; and here also are 
buried Queen Emma, and Princess Likelike. 
We also passed Chinese tea-houses, taro patches, 
plantations of bananas, and the summer homes 
of Messrs. Cook, Atherton, and Lowry. The visit 
to the home of the last is among the pleasant 
memories of this excursion. On the way we 
passed the crumbling walls of the summer home 
of a forgotten king who ruled in the early days 
of royalty in these islands. We rode almost to 
the Pali, then a short walk brought us to the 
summit. What a scene then burst upon our 
view! At our feet the pathway leads to the 
edge, and we look downward with wonder and 
delight, 



72 AROUND THE WORLD 

For here the Pali, sheer and steep. 
Falls down three hundred fathoms deep. 

Behind us the harbor of Honolulu lay, in 
beauty rivaling that of the Vesuvian Bay, and 
before us stretched the boundless sea with its 
many-colored waters and its border of rocks, 
huts, and gleaming sands. Every inch of this 
ground is historic. Standing on this Pali, we 
are looking on the burial place of thousands of 
the early inhabitants of Oahu. Kamehameha 
drove them before him up the valley, and on the 
edge of the precipice they made their last effort 
to repel the invader. Rather than submit, they 
leaped, or were hurled, over this precipice. At 
the base of the rocks their crumbling bones are 
still found, silent witnesses to their bravery and 
to their conqueror's cruelty. 

The Climate. — No one could desire a more 
delightful climate than that of Honolulu, or that 
of all the Hawaiian islands. Mr. Curtis J. Lyons, 
director of the Hawaiian weather bureau, ex- 
presses it in two words, "sunshine and breezes." 
The Hawaiian Islands, as he remarks, are "a 
picket line between tropical and temperate re- 
gions on the one hand, and between American 
and Asiatic spheres of influence on the other." 
Coming from the smoke of continental cities, the 
traveler is surprised and delighted at the clear, 
pure, sweet air of Hawaii. Sunshine is every- 
where, it floods mountain, valley, and sea; but 
the breezes so modify it that one never feels it 



HONOLULU AGAIN 73 

too hot ; though in currents of air one does not 
take cold. The alternation of shower and shadow 
makes the rainbow, both solar and lunar, peculi- 
arly bright and beautiful. There are great vari- 
eties of climates. Mauna Kea, 13,805 feet in 
height, and the other mountains but a little 
lower, greatly modify the air. The rainfall in 
the Hilo forest averages two hundred inches a 
year, and in the Kona coffee belt about sixty 
inches a year ; the rainfall of Oahu, the island in 
which Honolulu is situated, is about forty inches, 
but it varies much according to locality. 

The average temperature at Honolulu is 74 
Fahrenheit, and this average taken year by year 
does not vary by a degree. The average of the 
coldest month is 69 , and of the warmest 78 . 
The extreme lowest temperature is 50 (I saw it 
at 54 at the Volcano House), and the highest is 
90 ; and Mr. Lyons states that each of these 
figures has been noted only once in twelve years 
of careful personal observations. The humidity 
at Honolulu is not higher than the average in 
the Eastern States, the average relative humidity 
being about 72, which is said to be the ideal 
amount for comfort and health. On the wind- 
ward coasts the dampness is greater, but is not 
excessive even there. 

Early settlers here, as Mr. Lyons remarks, 
adopted East Indian ways, always carrying an 
umbrella, wearing ventilated or corked hats, and 
dressing in pongee or white linen ; but none of 
these styles prevails to-day. The people dress 
as they do in Boston or New York, felt hats and 



74 AROUND THE WORI,D 

straw hats being the rule; but a "stove-pipe" hat 
would alarm all the Hawaiian gamins into the 
belief that another of the chronic Hawaiian re- 
bellions, or the opening of an extinct crater, was 
immediately to take place. This must be a su- 
perb place for aged people, to whom marked 
changes in temperature so often prove fatal. 
The white races live happily here, although, 
without doubt, the tendency of the climate is 
toward laziness ; but perhaps in that tendency is 
found the enjoyment of some residents and vis- 
itors. Persons of weak lungs have been much 
benefited by the climate ; it certainly tends to 
good nature. Perhaps the amiability of the 
natives is due in no small degree to the equable 
climate. After the torrid heat of New York, last 
May and June, this tropical climate, with its hot 
sun but cool breezes day and night, seems little 
short of Paradise. 

Hawaii Americanized. — The Rev. Dr. Sere- 
no E. Bishop, in a recent article, calls attention 
to the Americanization of the Hawaiian Islands. 
The controlling social, intellectual, political, and 
religious influence to-day is undoubtedly Amer- 
ican. It is difficult for an American tourist here 
to realize that he is not in his own country ; the 
whole atmosphere is largely filled with American 
ideas. But the actual proportion of people of 
American birth or parentage is only four per 
cent, of the whole population ; still Americans, 
in all the respects named, exercise the dominating 
influence. They are shaping the commercial, 



HONOLULU AGAIN 75 

political, intellectual, and moral movements of 
the people. There are more than forty thousand 
native Hawaiians, there are Britons, Germans, 
and Portuguese numbering in all about eighteen 
thousand, but a great many of this number are ig- 
norant Catholic Portuguese ; and there are thirty- 
five thousand Chinese and Japanese. These Asi- 
atics resist assimilation, and care but little who 
is in authority, living largely apart socially, po- 
litically, and religiously. But the Britons and 
Germans practically acknowledge the American 
supremacy. 

The type of English speech heard here is 
American rather than British ; indeed, it must 
be confessed, that like the speech heard in many 
parts of the United States, it is sometimes a little 
too American for its own purity and beauty. 
English is taught in all the common schools, and 
the next generation of Hawaiians will all speak 
English and that of the American type. The 
flags usually seen are the Hawaiian and Amer- 
ican ; other flags, such as the British, German, 
Portuguese, Chinese, and Japanese, are seen here 
as they might be seen on some occasions in New 
York or Boston. The president and two minis- 
ters are American-Hawaiians ; two other ministers 
are American by birth. Similar facts exist in 
all departments of the public service. The re- 
ligious life of Honolulu is very largely under the 
influence of a sanctified Americanism. Amer- 
ican . influence was first felt in the Sandwich 
Islands in connection with the visits of the en- 
terprising whalemen of Nantucket and New 



76 AROUND THE WORLD 

Bedford. Nearly one hundred years ago this 
North Pacific was visited by American whale- 
ships ; and from these island ports agile Kanaka 
boys were shipped, and some of them found their 
way to schools in our Eastern States. 

In 1 8 19 the immortal band of American mis- 
sionaries came to Hawaii, imbued with a truly 
apostolic spirit, scholarly and consecrated. They 
have given shape to the political, intellectual, 
and moral life of these islands. Other Amer- 
icans came and their children have intermarried. 
They have become, in many instances, successful 
in business, and have beautiful homes. Intelli- 
gence, character, and capacity must always win 
the battle of life as against ignorance, incapacity, 
and immorality. So long as these laws obtain, 
men of this character will succeed ; and their 
success seems to be the front of their offending 
in the judgment of some harsh critics. 

There is room on these islands for half a mil- 
lion intelligent, industrious, and enterprising 
Americans. All our Protestant churches will 
yet be established here; commerce will flourish 
and industries will be multiplied when this gem 
of the Pacific shall have become a possession of 
the United States, as it certainly will in some 
form before five years shall pass. 1 That day is 
coming, and with its coming will come also sta- 
bility, peace, and prosperity, and manifold other 
blessings to the great American Republic. 

1 This prophecy has since been fulfilled. ' ' For better or for 
worse " the destinies of the two republics have become allied. 
True optimism will discern only the " better " for both. 



VII 

HAWAIIAN HISTORY 

MUCH has already been said in these chap- 
ters regarding these islands ; but it seems 
fitting that the facts from their discovery to the 
present time should be condensed into a single 
chapter. These islands have been making his- 
tory very rapidly within the past few years. Not 
only have they occupied a prominent place be- 
cause of their own history, but they are likely 
also to have a place of importance in inter- 
national history. It is quite certain, as already 
suggested, that before many years this gem of 
the Pacific will be a star in the American flag, or 
a Territory under our control, until properly fitted 
for Statehood. These considerations justify us 
in giving fuller attention to the past develop- 
ment, present position, and possible future of 
this interesting group of islands. 

The Native Race. — What is the origin of 
the Hawaiian people? In answer to that ques- 
tion, some writers affirm that they are related to 
the Toltec branch of the great Nahoa family of 
Mexico. Points of similarity physiologically are 
emphasized in proof of the claim of this relation- 
ship. If this relationship can be proved, the Ha- 

77 



78 AROUND THE WORLD 

waiians would be the oldest Polynesian colony, 
and from it the other members of the family 
would have branched out. Another theory makes 
all the Pacific islands to have been colonized by 
successive migrations from southern Asia. This 
theory makes the Malay Archipelago the starting 
point of the migrations of the Hawaiians, the 
New Zealanders, the Samoans, Tongans, and 
other related tribes. Many traditions, customs, 
and linguistic similarities support this theory. 

We know that the Hawaiian Islands were dis- 
covered in 1542 by a Spanish navigator named 
Gaetano. In 1567 another Spanish discoverer, 
Mendana, located some of the islands in the Ha- 
waiian group. But it is believed that as early as 
1527 a Spanish vessel was wrecked on the coast 
of Hawaii. The survivors of the wreck inter- 
married with the natives, and it is affirmed that 
their descendants are still known by their light 
color and their Caucasian facial contour ; they 
also have a tendency to "freckle." They are 
known among the Hawaiians by a special name, 
Kekea. Captain Cook visited these islands on 
January 18, 1778. He sailed for the American 
coast, and returned to these islands November 
20, of the same year. On his return he met 
Kamehameha I., who was then a young man, 
and he remained for a considerable time, enjoy- 
ing the unbounded hospitality of the natives, but 
finally in a quarrel provoked by his own unwis- 
dom and that of his men, he was killed at Keala- 
kekua Bay, on February 14, 1779. 

When the Hawaiians were first discovered an 



HAWAIIAN HISTORY 79 

elaborate feudal system was their form of govern- 
ment. Each tribe was led by its own chief and, 
after much fighting among the tribal chiefs, the 
islands at the time of Captain Cook's discovery 
were under the rule of five or six kings. A rea- 
sonable degree of civilization had been reached. 
The authority of the kings, however, was abso- 
lute. They were regarded in some sense as 
deities. The common people were oppressed by 
their rulers and were virtually slaves to the 
chiefs who gave them protection. In 1790 Ka- 
mehameha ruled over a part of the island of 
Hawaii. He was then attacked by Keoua, who 
ruled over the remaining portion of the island. 
Kamehameha defeated this king, and soon ex- 
tended his reign over the entire island. The 
flames of his ambition were fanned by this suc- 
cess, and he soon formed the purpose of conquer- 
ing neighboring islands. This purpose he car- 
ried out until all the islands but two, Kauai and 
Nuhau, were under his control, and by a treaty 
with the king of these islands they also came 
into his possession. The visit of Vancouver was 
made to these islands in 1792. His influence 
was both great and good. He gave the people 
instruction regarding God and spiritual things. 
He strove to settle on peaceful terms disputes 
between factions, and in every way sought the 
highest good of all the people. Upon the death 
of Kamehameha after his long and successful 
reign, his son, Liholiho, became his successor, 
taking the title of Kamehameha II. He with 
remarkable boldness and wisdom overthrew the 



80 AROUND THE WORLD 



taboo system which for centuries had exercised 
great power over all the people. 

Foreign Influence. — The cruelty of the 
heathen system of religion was deeply felt, and 
the whole country was ready to receive the gos- 
pel when the missionaries arrived, April 4, 1820. 
Their success, with the assistance of Rev. Mr. 
Ellis, in reducing the Hawaiian language to 
writing was very marked. The first printing 
was done in 1822. In 1823 the king and the 
queen visited England, and there they both died. 
The premier became regent and ruled for nine 
years until the majority of Kanikeaouli, brother 
of the late king. In 1825 the Ten Command- 
ments were adopted by the government as a part 
of the law of the island. Roman Catholic mis- 
sionaries arrived in 1827. ^ n J ^39 Commander 
Laplace, of a French frigate, obtained civil and 
religious privileges for the Romanists. In 1833 
the late king's brother became ruler under the 
name of Kamehameha III. In 1840 the consti- 
tution granting civil rights to the people was 
promulgated. For a little time the islands were 
under the provisional control of Great Britain, 
and in 1849 there was a temporary occupation 
of Honolulu by the French. Kamehameha III. 
died December 15, 1854 ; he was succeeded by 
Alexander Liholiho as Kamehameha IV. He 
died November 30, 1863, having been married 
to Emma Naea, the adopted daughter of Doctor 
Rooke. Lot Kamehameha, brother of the late 
king, succeeded him as Kamehameha V. The 



HAWAIIAN HISTORY 8 1 

chief characteristic of his reign was the abroga- 
tion of the national constitution and the limita- 
tion of the suffrage by a property qualification. 
During his reign Honolulu was beautified with 
public buildings. His death occurred December 
ii, 1872, and with his death the old and famous 
Kamehameha dynasty became extinct. He was 
succeeded by Lunalilo, a high chief, who was 
unanimously elected by the people as king. 
His rule lasted only one year, but it was noted 
for his introduction of measures for the intro- 
duction of liberal principles, for the effort to 
secure commercial reciprocity with the United 
States, and the cession of the Pearl River La- 
goon. He died February 4, 1874, and on the 
twelfth of the same month Kalakaua was elected 
king by the legislature against the determined 
opposition of Queen-dowager Emma. A riot 
occurred between her supporters and those of 
Kalakaua, and American warships were neces- 
sary to quell the disturbance and to restore peace. 
In 1875 the reciprocity treaty was negotiated 
with the United States, under whose terms sugar 
was admitted to the United States free of duty. 
This treaty stimulated the production of sugar 
to so great a degree that the duty remitted on 
Hawaiian sugar reached five million dollars a 
year. A very large amount of American capital 
flowed into the Hawaiian Islands. The owners 
of plantations now supplied themselves with 
labor oh the contract system, importing Chinese 
and Japanese coolies and also Portuguese laborers 
from the Azores and Madeira. The estates now 



82 AROUND THE WOBXD 

became joint-stock companies. Between 1876 
and 1887, thirty-six thousand coolies, nearly 
twenty-four thousand of whom were Chinese, 
were brought into the islands. 

Reactions. — The influx of this heathen ele- 
ment greatly retarded the progress of Christianity 
on the islands. The king was probably always 
at heart a heathen. The influence of his court 
was toward evil and that continually. There 
was a revival of the power of the kahuna, or 
sorcerer. The ban from the sale of liquor was 
removed, and the whole country was under the 
influences of the worst elements of the hula 
dance, and a spirit of race hatred permeated 
native society. The Kanakas found themselves 
driven from the plantations and their former 
employments into the towns by the Chinese, 
Japanese, and Portuguese, who upon the con- 
clusion of their contracts on the plantations then 
came to the towns and began various forms of 
business. The Kanaka is a light-hearted, easy- 
going, self-indulgent creature, and the indus- 
trious Chinese and Japanese soon pushed him to 
the wall. The American Board withdrew the 
American missionaries too soon, and the native 
pastors could not stand against the tide of evil 
influences which flowed in upon the island. 

A native political party was organized. The 
cry was, "Hawaii for the Hawaiians !" Politi- 
cal intriguers, made up of disgraced politicians 
and native malcontents, arrayed themselves 
against the missionary party and against all the 



HAWAIIAN HISTORY 8$ 

better elements of the community. Kalakaua 
was in sympathy with this revolutionary and 
reactionary movement. In 1883 this native 
party had a majority in the assembly. The in- 
fluence of the missionaries was bitterly antago- 
nized. The king elected an American, W. M. 
Gibson, as premier and three natives as members 
of the cabinet. White renegades were found 
who were ready for any movement which would 
bring themselves position and power. In 1887 
the best American element, joined by the better 
class of natives and foreigners, marched to the 
palace and demanded that Kalakaua should ap- 
point a prime minister of their choice and should 
proclaim a new constitution. The king wisely 
submitted to these revolutionists. The king 
thus lost many of the royal prerogatives of the 
earlier day and the ministers were made responsi- 
ble to the legislature. In 1887 the right to use 
Pearl Harbor as a coaling and repair station for 
vessels was conveyed to the United States. In 
1889 it is said that the king and his sister Liliuo- 
kalani used all their influence to restore the old 
constitution. 

Kalakaua died in 1891 and Liliuokalani suc- 
ceeded to the throne. She was born September 
2, 1838, and was married to John O. Dominis, 
an American who had been governor of Oahu, 
and who died August 27, 1891. After the death 
of Dominis, A. S. Kleghorn, a Scotchman, was 
governor of Oahu. He is the father of the 
Princess Kaiulani, who was born October 16, 
1875, and who was heiress presumptive to the 



84 AROUND THE WORUD 

Hawaiian throne as niece of Liliuokalani. This 
princess has visited New York and is now in 
England, where she is receiving her education. 
While this writer was in Honolulu in June, 
1895, the government voted this young princess 
a yearly sum for her support. It was not felt 
that the government was under any legal obliga- 
tion so to do, but that perhaps there was a moral 
obligation to that effect. It was argued also that 
it was a stroke of commendable policy to recon- 
cile the disaffected natives to the new republic. 

Kalakaua was unqualifiedly bad in all his 
relations to the people. He granted, it is said, 
the exclusive right to a Chinaman to import 
opium, and received for it the sum of eighty 
thousand dollars. He immediately granted an- 
other Chinaman a similar right, receiving from 
him seventy-five thousand dollars, and left the 
two Chinese merchants to fight it out at their 
leisure. He debauched the suffrage ; he gave 
the islands a reign of free rum ; he allowed lepers 
their liberty for a financial consideration. He 
was utterly and absolutely bad. Liliuokalani is 
publicly charged with dissoluteness of life and 
of being under the influence of the kahunas, 
although a woman of natural shrewdness, of 
good education, and of some ability in music 
and literature. 

The legislature was soon split into factions. 
One bill licensing a gigantic lottery company 
was especially obnoxious to Americans, for they 
felt that the lottery was demoralizing to Hawaii 
and also to the United States, as lotteries had 



HAWAIIAN HISTORY 85 

been suppressed in the latter country. An effort 
was again made to revive an opium monopoly. 
The Americans who opposed these legislative 
acts had been leaders in the revolution of 1887. 
They had large property interests in the islands. 
They brought such pressure to bear upon the 
queen that she frequently changed her ministers ; 
but, becoming angered, she finally chose a cabi- 
net that was favorable to the lottery and favor- 
able also to the restoration of the old constitution. 
Sharp political and race antagonisms now were 
created, and all things were ripe for some sud- 
den movement of serious import. 

The Revolution. — On the fourteenth of 
January, 1893, the legislature was prorogued, 
and on that day the queen signed the lottery bill. 
Minister Stevens, who then represented the 
United States, denounced her act as hostile to 
his government. The queen was expected to 
promulgate on the fourteenth of January a new 
constitution, which would restore the status 
which existed previous to 1887. She demanded 
that her ministers should countersign this con- 
stitution. A great crowd of the native party 
was assembled before her palace. The ministers 
refused to sign the constitution. Lorrin A. 
Thurston, leader of the reform party, advised 
that they declare the queen in revolution and 
the throne vacant. Soon Thurston had eighty 
men pledged to support by force the cabinet 
against the queen. The queen addressed the 
assembled natives, urging them to return to their 



86 AROUND THE WORED 

homes, and complaining that the ministers had 
prevented her from promulgating the constitu- 
tion which she had promised. 

Finally a Committee of Safety was appointed 
on the afternoon of that day, and this committee 
decided to depose the queen, establish a pro- 
visional government, and strive for the annexa- 
tion of the islands to the United States. On the 
afternoon of January 16, mass meetings were 
held, both by the supporters and opposers of the 
government. The Committee of Safety sent a 
petition to the United States minister begging 
for protection. He had arrived on the man-of- 
war "Boston" from another part of the islands. 
Minister Stevens requested Captain Wiltse, of 
the "Boston," to land marines and sailors to 
protect the United States legation and to secure 
the safety of American life and property. After- 
ward the Committee of Safety regretted having 
asked for the intervention of United States troops, 
but the troops, one hundred and sixty strong, 
had already landed. These matters have been 
the subject of much discussion in the American 
papers and in the American Congress. 

Establishment of the Republic. — There 
is space here only to give the barest outline of 
the proceedings which resulted in the establish- 
ment, first of a provisional government, and later 
of a republic in the Hawaiian Islands. The 
United States minister gave official recognition 
to representatives of the provisional government, 
and the queen, under protest and impelled by 



HAWAIIAN HISTORY 87 

force, as she affirmed, surrendered " until such 
time as the government of the United States 
shall . . . reinstate me in the authority which 
I claim as the constitutional sovereign of the 
Hawaiian Islands." This agreement was ac- 
cepted by the representatives of the provisional 
government and endorsed by Judge Dole, the 
president of that government. 

The mission of Commissioner Blount is fa- 
miliar to all readers. He was appointed as a 
special Commissioner to Hawaii on the seventh 
of March, three days after President Cleveland's 
inauguration. His open instructions from Sec- 
retary Gresham were dated March 11. He ar- 
rived at Honolulu March 29. He declined re- 
ceptions tendered him both by the Hawaiian 
Patriotic League and the Annexation Club. 
Sanford B. Dole was made president of the 
provisional government in the proclamation of 
January 17. Hon. Albert S. Willis, of Ken- 
tucky, was appointed Minister to Hawaii, Septem- 
ber 3, to succeed Mr. Blount, and was accepted 
by President Dole. The feeling in Hawaii was 
intense at the time, for it was fully believed 
there that it was the intention of the President 
of the United States to restore the deposed 
queen. 

The republic of the Hawaiian Islands was 
provisionally established January 13, 1893. It 
was definitely proclaimed July 4, 1894, and San- 
ford Ballard Dole, president of the provisional 
republic, was elected president by the Constitu- 
tional Convention for the first regular term, 



88 AROUND THE WORLD 

ending December 31, 1900. The story of the 
attempt to restore the queen is long and stirring. 
On December 19, 1893, the United States Min- 
ister presented to President Dole a communica- 
tion informing him and his ministers that they 
were expected to relinquish promptly to the 
deposed queen her constitutional authority by 
the decision of the President of the United 
States. On December 23, President Dole, on 
behalf of the provisional government, refused to 
accept the proposition of the United States. 
This refusal was expressed in a very able docu- 
ment. The right of President Cleveland to 
control in Hawaiian domestic affairs was vigor- 
ously denied, and it was asserted that the revo- 
lution had been accomplished, not by the inter- 
ference of the United States forces, but "through 
the representatives of the same public sentiment 
which had forced the monarchy to its knees in 
1887, which suppressed the insurrection in 1889, 
and which for twenty years has been battling for 
representative government." There was a time 
of great anxiety in Honolulu while these nego- 
tiations were in progress. 

The provisional government called a con- 
vention which adopted a constitution, and the 
government was finally called the Republic of 
Hawaii. There are many points in this consti- 
tion which are worthy of our heartiest com- 
mendation, and the American Republic might 
well learn important lessons from this sister 
republic. The following statement from "Ap- 
pleton's Annual Cyclopaedia," 1894, p. 344, is 



HAWAIIAN HISTORY 89 

worthy of the careful consideration of all Ameri- 
can citizens : 

There is a president, elected for six years and not re- 
eligible, but no vice-president. There is a cabinet of four 
ministers, who are appointed by the president with the ap- 
proval of the Senate, and are responsible for the conduct of 
their respective departments to the president, who, how- 
ever, cannot remove one of them without the approval 
either of the Senate or of the other three members of the 
cabinet. The cabinet ministers are ex officio members of 
both houses of the legislature, with the rights, powers, and 
privileges of elected members, except the right to vote. 
The legislative power is vested in two chambers, a Senate 
and a House of Representatives. To vote for a member of 
the House of Representatives a citizen must be a born or a 
naturalized Hawaiian, able to read, write, and speak Eng- 
lish or the Hawaiian language with fluency. An alien, to 
obtain naturalization, must be able to read and write English 
well, must possess property worth two hundred dollars, and 
must renounce all foreign allegiance, and he must come 
from a country with which Hawaii has a naturalization 
treaty. This last provision meets the case of Asiatics — the 
Chinese, who have been able to obtain a large part of the 
foreign and internal trade, and the Japanese, who also com- 
pete with Americans and Europeans in agriculture, horti- 
culture, handicrafts, and trading, and whose government 
has persistently demanded equal rights in naturalization, 
denization, etc., with the most favored nation. All aliens 
who have aided and supported the provisional government 
are entitled to naturalization without further qualifications. 
Electors for senators must possess one thousand five hun- 
dred dollars worth of real estate, or personal property worth 
three thousand dollars, or a clear income of six hundred 
dollars a year. 

Royalist Revolt. — The native party in Ha- 
waii expected that the United States govern- 
ment would restore the queen to the Hawaiian 



90 AROUND THE WORLD 

throne. After the provisional government re- 
fused to yield up its authority, the native party 
remained quiet to see what President Cleveland 
would do ; but as soon as the provisional govern- 
ment took steps for the creation of a permanent 
government the native party determined to resist. 
A number of men who had seen military service 
in Canada and elsewhere, went to Hawaii, and 
soon there were indications of a possible out- 
break against the new government. The royal- 
ist newspapers became bold in their attacks. It 
became necessary for the government to protest 
against them, and some of the editors were im- 
prisoned. In some royalist houses rifles were 
found. In the election for senators and repre- 
sentatives the American Union Party captured 
the votes of the island of Oahu. The late re- 
public was recognized by the United States gov- 
ernment, and other powers also soon gave it 
formal recognition. 

A vessel during the winter landed four hun- 
dred rifles near Honolulu, and bands of revolu- 
tionists, led by Robert W. Wilcox and Captain 
Sam Nowlein, were discovered preparing for 
some outbreak. Wilcox had been connected 
with the attempted revolution of 1889. The 
government learned where the insurgents were 
encamped. All was ready for the outbreak. Part 
of the plan was to destroy the Union Church 
with dynamite. Charles L,. Carter, while in the 
act of arresting some of the insurgents, was fa- 
tally shot. The citizens' guard was called out to 
protect the city while Lieutenant King marched 



HAWAIIAN HISTORY 91 



with a small body of Union soldiers to meet the 
insurgents. The rebels were shelled out of their 
position, a large store of arms was found, and 
many of the natives gave themselves up, while 
others in a few days followed their example. 
Martial law was proclaimed, and many of those 
who had striven to restore the queen were im- 
prisoned, among them being several leading citi- 
zens. The penalties inflicted upon the natives 
were light, as they were deemed to be largely 
the victims of half-breeds who were disappointed 
in not getting the liberal allowances formerly 
granted them from the public crib. President 
Dole and those associated with him are men of 
marked ability and of equal patriotism, which 
will be fully tested, for troublesome questions 
have yet to be answered regarding the future of 
this young republic. 

No doubt Japan longs for possession of these 
islands, for she needs additional territory. Japan 
is a very small country for a population of forty 
millions, which is increasing at the rate of half a 
million each year. Formosa for a time will sup- 
ply the need for additional territory, but only for 
a little time. Great Britain might well desire 
these islands. They lie on the track of her 
ships from Vancouver to Australia. Should any 
nation send a man-of-war into the harbor of 
Honolulu the government would be obliged at 
once to surrender. All that the young republic 
requires to make its success assured is that some 
strong nation, let us hope it may be the United 
States, will stretch its mighty hand over those 



92 AROUND THE WORLD 

islands, protecting them from foreign foes, and 
securing peace within their own borders. Then 
the young republic will prove its right to exist, 
and it will come some day, probably as a Terri- 
tory, with the hearty consent of all its people, 
and the cordial welcome of all our people, into 
the fellowship of the sisterhood of States of the 
American Republic. 



VIII 

THE HAWAIIAN FUTURE 

THE case of the natives is truly pathetic. 
They are, as has already been said, an 
amiable, light-hearted, happy-go-lucky people, 
as delightfully amiable as their climate. They 
were never cannibals, but were disposed to be 
very kind to the first white men who came to 
their beautiful islands. The climate probably 
tends to make them easy-going and good-na- 
tured ; it probably takes from them somewhat 
of enterprise and enthusiasm. It is easy for 
them to be indifferent to hard work and for 
some of them to be positively lazy. Their 
tailor's bill need not be large ; their food bill 
may be almost nothing. Under a tree they may 
lie and pick up breadfruit, bananas, and other 
fruits with both hands. They grow their taro 
and prepare their poi\ and eat it with one finger, 
with two, or with three fingers. They decorate 
themselves with garlands of flowers, called lets ; 
some of them elicit your admiration for their 
graceful pose and their impressive movements. 
Some of the women walk with a queenly grace 
combined with a coquettish dash. Some women 
with mixed blood are really beautiful, are thor- 
oughly cultured, and are modest and attractive. 

93 



94 AROUND THE WORLD 

Future of the Natives. — These islands are 
the most important Polynesian group in the 
North Pacific. Many civilizations have come to 
these shores. Once a British officer took pos- 
session of Oahu and established a commission 
for his government, and once French officers 
promulgated the laws, dictated treaties, and 
strove by force of arms to make the Roman 
Catholic faith the religion of the country. But 
the independence of the islands was guaranteed 
by the United States in 1829, and more formally 
in 1843, an d by Great Britain, Belgium, and 
France in 1844. The language is a branch of 
the great Malayo-Polynesian tongue. The later 
history is familiar to most Americans, and the 
character of the present government is more and 
more receiving the endorsement of all intelligent 
Hawaiians. But what is their future? 

They are dying out. As many as two hun- 
dred vessels at one time have been in this har- 
bor, and here sailors often received their wages. 
Debauchery ran riot ; wickedness of every kind 
was rampant. Thousands of dollars were spent 
in saloons, and places of vice flourished. At 
times a corrupt court sought favor with officers, 
passengers, and crews, by encouraging the women 
to minister to vice. Diseases multiplied. Thou- 
sands of the people have been swept away in a 
few months by epidemics. The coming of the 
missionaries checked many of the crimes which 
led to such dire results; but human nature is 
still what the Apostle Paul found it, and what 
all observers still see it to be. 



THE HAWAIIAN FUTURE 95 

New dangers threaten the Hawaiians. They 
are improvident, incapable of prolonged business 
application, and many of them incapable of in- 
tellectual training beyond certain moderate 
limits. The Chinese and Japanese are crowd- 
ing them out of business, out of the trades, and 
eve,n out of the most menial labors, crowding 
them to the -wall. Scores of kinds of business 
once in their hands are now in the hands of 
these foreigners. Few of them are now at the 
head of responsible business enterprises. I have 
talked with their educated men and women until 
my heart sympathized deeply with them over 
the inevitable doom of their people. Many of 
them could scarcely repress their tears as they 
talked; some did not attempt to conceal their 
grief. 

Another danger is present : their women marry 
these foreigners, especially the Chinese, in many 
cases in preference to Hawaiian men. The 
Chinese take better care of their wives than do 
the native men ; they work hard for them, and 
give them homes, food, and clothes. In any 
Sunday-school you can see children of mixed 
races. These children are said to be more 
healthy than those of pure Hawaiian blood. In 
this way the native race is becoming absorbed. 
Perhaps there is a divine providence in all these 
movements. Missionaries came here to work 
for one race, but God now has brought many 
races into the circle of their influence. Chris- 
tian Hawaiian women carry their influence into 
Chinese homes, and children are brought up 



g6 AROUND THE WORLD 

under Christian teaching. The Hawaiian fami- 
lies, for reasons that are not unknown, are small ; 
often there are no children. Strange things are 
said as to what a father thinks is his duty re- 
garding his family when he wishes to extend a 
great " aloha" welcome, to a guest. Many 
things thus combine to make it almost certain 
that the race, as pure Hawaiian, must soon pass 
away, and one cannot think of some of the noble 
men and women he meets here without sorrow 
regarding the future of their people. 

The Bishop Museum. — This name is familiar 
to eye and ear ; it is honored here as in New 
York. Mr. Charles R. Bishop was a boy in 
Washington County, N. Y. In company with 
two other young men, one of whom became 
Judge L,ee, of the Hawaiian Islands, he started 
for Oregon. The vessel touched here, and they 
were induced to remain. Mr. Bishop's wife was 
the heiress of the late Princess Ruth, the sister 
of Kamehameha V. A few years ago she died, 
leaving great possessions, and was buried with 
many honors. She might have been queen, and 
probably would have been, but for her desire to 
consult her husband and the failure to secure in 
time the needed consultation. Her great estates 
were left to found schools and a museum. Mr. 
Bishop, now a man over seventy, is living in 
San Francisco. He still gives liberally out of 
his large wealth to add new features to the 
work. 

C. M. Hyde, D. D., is the vice-president of 



THE HAWAIIAN FUTURE 97 

the museum, and because of the absence of Presi- 
dent Bishop much of the management is in his 
hands. The full name of the institution is the 
Bernice Panahi Bishop Museum. In 1889 Mr. 
Bishop founded it in memory of his wife, and 
thus American and Hawaiian money, sympathy, 
and* love, have sweetly united in this noble 
charity. The building is of basalt, quarried in 
the vicinity, and the interior is superbly finished, 
mainly in koa wood from the island of Maui. 
The nucleus of the unique collection was the 
great store of kafias, calabashes, kahilis, and 
other relics belonging to Mrs. Bishop and be- 
queathed to her as the last of the Kamehamehas. 
The treasures of Queen Emma were added, as 
well as extensive private collections. This 
young museum may already rightly claim first 
rank in kapas, kahilis, mats, and Polynesian 
stone implements. Eventually the natural his- 
tory, as well as the ethnology, of Polynesia will 
be fully represented. 

Nowhere else in the world did the use of 
feather ornaments, although common in South 
America, in North America, in India, in Assyria, 
and elsewhere, attain such magnificence as in 
the Hawaiian Islands. The birds here were not 
more highly plumed, but feather-hunting seems 
to have been a special object of desire and attain- 
ment. Here is the magnificent feather robe of 
Kamehameha the Great, in making which thou- 
sands upon thousands of birds — as each bird had 
only a few of the needed feathers — must have 
been sacrificed. Here is the kahili — meaning 

G 



98 Around The world 

something twisted or plaited, and usually feathers 
— made by the deposed Queen Iyiliuokalani for 
Mrs. Bishop's funeral ; and so on, for yards and 
yards of space, the ornamental feather robes, 
varying in size from a small cape to great sweep- 
ing robes. Here are samples of kafla, vegetable 
fibre wrought into paper or cloth ; here are idol 
gods of many patterns ; here household imple- 
ments, tools, articles of amusement, articles used 
in war, in worship, and as ornaments; here 
canoes and relics of chiefs ; here portraits, pho- 
tographs, corals, birds, shells, etc. All are ex- 
cellently well classified, and when Curator Wil- 
liam S. Brigham flashes his explanations on all 
you see, you are sure that this is the most in- 
structive visit you have made in the Hawaiian 
Islands. If he could bring this museum to New 
York and give a lecture on it to our citizens 
they would be deeply interested and greatly 
instructed. Whatever else the tourist misses 
in Honolulu, he ought not to miss the Pali and 
the Bishop Museum. 

" The Glorious Fourth." — This was a 
double celebration here. In addition to the 
idea which all good Americans commemorate, 
the day was the first anniversary of the Hawaiian 
Republic. So delicate and sensitive are all the 
conditions here that the committee having the 
matter in charge decided to limit the Hawaiian 
part of it to the military display in the earlier 
morning and the reception by President Dole 
following the review of the National Guard. 



THE HAWAIIAN FUTURE 99 

The noise, in true American style, began the 
night before, and it was kept up apparently all 
night. There was but little sleeping in Hono- 
lulu that night. Very early in the morning 
there were boat racing, horse racing, and parades 
by the " horribles," and other fantastic organiza- 
tions. Then came the very creditable military 
display, followed by the formal reception given 
by President Dole. This was attended by the 
representatives of foreign governments, by the 
tourists, and by the people very generally. The 
reception was given in the hall of the Repre- 
sentatives, Mrs. Dole and other prominent women 
assisting. Hearty congratulations were given 
the president on the first anniversary of the 
Hawaiian Republic. 

At eleven the president left to attend the 
literary exercises at Independence Park. He 
went there simply as a private citizen. It was 
arranged that this part of the celebration of the 
day should be distinctively American, and that 
Minister Willis should preside. Indeed, the 
meeting to make arrangements for the celebra- 
tion was called by Mr. Willis, and after consul- 
tation with Americans and American-Hawaiians, 
Minister Willis courteously waited until the ar- 
rival of President Dole before calling the meet- 
ing to order. When it was seen that he had 
entered the pavilion the audience arose to do 
him honor. President Dole does not seek such 
manifestations, and it is also said that some of 
the people would prefer not to give them, as they 
savor too much of the old customs of royalty. 



IOO AROUND THE WORLD 

Three cheers, however, were given in honor of 
the republic's first president ; they were honest 
cheers, but not remarkable for enthusiasm. 
President Dole does better than merely excite 
enthusiasm ; he commands respect, evokes ap- 
preciation, and creates confidence. 

Prayer was offered by Rev. D. P. Birnie ; then 
all joined in singing "America." Mr. Willis 
opened the speaking with a brief, finished, and 
patriotic address, and then gracefully introduced 
Dr. Joseph Cook, his steamer being courteously 
detained that he might deliver an address. Doc- 
tor Cook spoke with his characteristic ability 
in making broad and rapid generalizations and 
suggestive national prophecies. He congratu- 
lated the people that in our day when a crown 
falls it is pulverized, that in the Hawaiian Re- 
public there is no color line, and that the republic 
is founded on "Northern principles." He then 
proceeded to answer the criticism that very few 
had voted for the government of this republic. 
He had just pronounced the word "administra- 
tion," when Mr. Willis arose, stopped him, and 
stated to him and the audience that the occasion 
was not one for a partisan speech. A vigorous 
colloquy, perhaps it might be called an alterca- 
tion, took place between the two gentlemen. 
The remarks of Minister Willis were greeted 
with applause by apparently two-thirds of the 
audience. The reprimand he administered was 
sharp ; the retort of Doctor Cook was sharp. Mr. 
Willis begged Doctor Cook to remember that he 
was in the cosmopolitan city of Honolulu, and 



THE HAWAIIAN FUTURE IOI 

not in the limited environment of Boston ; and 
Doctor Cook reminded him that Boston had 
done something for the Fourth of July. The 
lightning played brilliantly for a few minutes. 
When peace was restored Doctor Cook resumed 
his speech and spoke of the dangers to which 
republics in the tropics are exposed, expressed 
the hope that annexation might be secured, and 
urged the people to show themselves worthy of 
annexation by showing themselves to be fully 
capable of self-government. Doctor Cook then 
left for his steamer. 

The Declaration of Independence was read, 
and then Mr. K. P. Dole, the cousin of President 
Dole, delivered the oration of the day. It was a 
well-prepared speech, and though not effectively 
delivered, its genuine American patriotism gave 
it a hearty reception. In the afternoon a bril- 
liant company attended the reception given by 
Minister and Mrs. Willis at the American Lega- 
tion. This occasion was in every way delightful. 
In the evening there were fireworks before the 
executive buildings and the streets were filled 
by good-natured crowds. There was consider- 
able jollity, but little visible drunkenness. 

As was to be expected, the Cook-Willis episode 
of the morning formed a topic of frequent con- 
versation in the afternoon, and, as was also to be 
expected, opposing sides were taken with great 
earnestness. Some American tourists, American 
residents, and American Hawaiians supported 
Doctor Cook with much feeling. One American 
tourist, a member of Congress, was especially em- 






102 AROUND THE WORLD 

phatic in denouncing what he called "the cow- 
ardly treatment which Doctor Cook received." 
Others blamed the committee who secured him 
and who, as it was claimed, deserted him when 
they should have endorsed him. They said, with 
an element of truth, that he was reprimanded 
before he had really offended. Others replied 
that in a sermon and in a lecture, and also in 
the early part of his address, he had given hints 
which clearly showed that he was about to pass 
adverse criticisms on the administration at 
Washington, and that this was neither the time 
nor place for any partisan discussion. 

Both Mr. Willis and Doctor Cook are well 
able to take care of themselves. The audi- 
ence was largely with Minister Willis, and so 
have been the Honolulu papers of all shades of 
political opinion. It was clearly, in the popular 
mind at least, a local triumph for the American 
minister. Mr. Willis came to fill a most delicate 
position ; few men are ever called by our govern- 
ment to perform a more difficult task. There 
were prominent American Hawaiians who hon- 
estly objected to some of his positions as Amer- 
ican minister; but they even then respected him 
as an American citizen, and as a Christian gen- 
tleman. The first grounds of their dissent are 
now largely removed, and their respect for Mr. 
Willis, in the particulars named, is daily in- 
creasing. Mr. Willis has certainly striven to 
carry out his instructions in circumstances more 
trying than those in which our ministers are 
often placed. 



THE HAWAIIAN FUTURE 103 

The Hawaiian " Fourth." — The Hawaiian 
anniversary was not much in evidence. Perhaps 
it was better that it was comparatively incon- 
spicuous. The republic is only one year old ; 
" unreconstructed " Hawaiians there are in con- 
siderable numbers, and there are great difficul- 
ties to be overcome. It would have been unwise 
to challenge unduly any elements of opposition, 
and unwise to speak with even seeming boast- 
fulness of what has been achieved. President 
Dole is a wise man and marked by great self- 
poise. He can be silent when silence is golden ; 
he can speak when speech is golden. His cab- 
inet is made up of men who are alert, thoughtful, 
and patriotic. The American flag was every- 
where ; the Hawaiian flag was only occasionally 
seen on private houses and shops. It is, how- 
ever, extremely difficult to say just when a man 
here is an American and when a Hawaiian. 
Has a man ceased to be an American when he 
has taken the oath of allegiance to the Hawaiian 
Republic ? So it seems to have been decided in 
responsible quarters. Then was this " Fourth " 
American or Hawaiian ? Who can tell ? But if 
a man by taking oath to the Hawaiian Republic 
has ceased to be an American, is he liable to the 
income tax? That was once a very practical 
question here ; fortunately, it is now out of the 
way. If all who have taken the oath to the 
Hawaiian Republic have ceased to be Americans, 
then the " Fourth " at Independence Park was 
far more a Hawaiian than an American celebra- 
tion. Things are much complicated here. 



104 AROUND THE WORLD 

But in any case this mid-ocean republic is 
moving forward. The people have undertaken 
to establish here a true republic, to give equal 
justice to all, and to guarantee the equitable ad- 
ministration of the affairs of all the people. The 
republic is scarcely an experiment now, for it 
has shown itself capable of preserving its own 
existence and of making needed reforms. It is 
building roads which are opening up large por- 
tions of the islands. It is conducting all its 
affairs with intelligence, firmness, capacity, and 
honesty. It is without doubt the purest gov- 
ernment to-day on the earth. It unites firm- 
ness with leniency, and it happily combines 
mercy and justice. It has shown that in a re- 
public the hand of law can be firm and the 
stroke of justice sure as in a monarchy. The 
pardon of a goodly number of political prisoners 
on the first anniversary of the republic was an 
act both just and politic on the part of the gov- 
ernment. The refusal to grant pardons at pres- 
ent to the real offenders was an act equally just 
and politic. In due time, it is generally believed, 
other pardons will follow. May the Republic of 
Hawaii prosper! May it live long enough to 
prove its right to self-existence, and to receive, 
perhaps on the expiration of President Dole's 
term of office, if not before, an entrance under 
some form of dependency into the sisterhood of 
States, with the enthusiastic welcome of all pa- 
triotic Americans and with the glad and grate- 
ful consent of all patriotic Hawaiians. For this 
happy consummation let us all labor and pray. 



IX 

RELIGIOUS DEVELOPMENT OF HAWAII 

IT certainly was true of the Hawaiian Islands 
as the prophet Isaiah long ago said: "The 
isles shall wait for his law." As early as the 
autumn of 1809, the Hawaiian boy, Obookia, told 
Samuel J. Mills his simple story. 

Obookia. — During one of the many wars 
which prevailed among the petty kings of those 
islands, Obookia's parents were killed. Taking 
his infant brother on his back, Obookia sought 
a place of safety ; but the child was killed and 
he himself was taken prisoner. His life abounded 
in strange adventures, and at the age of fourteen 
he came to New Haven, Connecticut, with a sea 
captain. He longed for an education, but the 
prospect of securing it was very discouraging. 
In his disappointment he sat on the college steps 
and wept bitterly. His presence in New Haven, 
and his strong desire for an education soon at- 
tracted the attention of those who could give 
him practical help. 

To Mr. Mills he said: "The people of Hawaii 
are very bad ; they pray to gods made of wood. 
I want to learn to read this Bible, and go back 
there and tell them to pray to God up in 

105 



106 AROUND THE WORLD 

heaven." Two other Hawaiian boys came with 
Obookia, and they were converted to Christianity 
in 1813. The interest felt in these lads became 
very general and profound, and as a result a for- 
eign mission school was organized in 181 7 at 
New Haven, with these Hawaiian boys among 
its first pupils. But Obookia was not to see the 
fulfillment of his desire, and was not to preach 
the gospel to his country. Soon after the organi- 
zation of this school he died, but his consistent 
life and peaceful death made a great impression 
on the hearts of many American Christians. 

This great Hawaiian field was white to the 
harvest. God was leading his people in won- 
derful ways to begin this work, and on Saturday, 
October 23, 181 9, a band of missionaries, in- 
cluding Hiram Bingham and Asa Thurston, after 
services of great interest and solemnity, set sail 
for the Hawaiian Islands. The voyage occupied 
five months, and on March 31, 1820, they arrived 
at their destination. The captain of the ship 
which brought them offered to remain a little 
time in the harbor so that they might return 
with him. He believed that their enthusiasm 
would soon expend itself and they would gladly 
go back, but this captain little understood the 
spirit of the missionaries and the purpose of 
God. The missionaries found upon their arrival 
that the revolution to which reference is else- 
where made in these chapters had taken place 
on the death of the old king ; they found also 
that idolatry had been virtually discarded, al- 
though not chiefly from religious motives. 



RELIGIOUS DEVELOPMENT OF HAWAII 107 

The missionaries landed in Kalui Bay, and 
soon after their arrival a consultation, lasting 
fourteen days, took place between the king and 
the chiefs regarding the attitude which they 
should assume toward the missionaries. There 
are always nominal Christian foreigners in hea- 
then countries who from motives of self-interest 
are opposed to Christian missionaries, and it was 
not otherwise in this case. These foreigners 
were opposed to the landing of the missionaries, 
saying, " They have come to conquer the islands." 
But God seems to have moved upon the minds 
of the king and chiefs, so that they judged more 
wisely, and sensibly replied, " If they had come 
to conquer the islands they would not have 
brought their women with them." The king 
and the chiefs were among the first pupils of the 
missionaries, and the king's mother, Keopuolani, 
was the first convert. The missionaries and 
their wives gave the people instruction regarding 
the making and wearing of appropriate clothing, 
and concerning many practical matters in their 
family life. In 1824 the principal chiefs agreed 
to observe the Sabbath, and to adopt the Ten 
Commandments as the basis of government. 

The missionaries and their families were often 
bitterly persecuted, and their lives were occa- 
sionally endangered by British and American 
sailors. It is humiliating that so often the foes 
of the missionaries are the representatives of so- 
called Christian countries. These sailors resented 
the influence of the missionaries, because it led 
to a moral reformation which interfered with the 



108 AROUND THE WORLD 

vicious lives of officers and sailors. In eight 
years from the landing of the first missionaries, 
there were thirty-two missionaries, four hundred 
and forty-five native teachers, twelve thousand 
attendants on public worship, and twenty-six 
thousand pupils in schools on the various islands. 
The Bible was translated and circulated, and 
many high chiefs were converted and became 
earnest Christian workers. 

Some Missionaries. — Vermont has the honor 
of having given birth to Doctor Bingham, who 
labored so nobly in the Hawaiian Islands. He 
was born at Bennington in that State, October 
30, 1789. He was a man of undaunted will, of 
inflexible courage, of cheerful disposition, and of 
spiritual consecration. These qualifications fit- 
ted him in a marked degree for his mission 
work. His character was conspicuous for his 
honesty, sincerity, and consistency. All good 
men loved him, and he had the respect of even 
bad men. He came back to the United States 
in 1 841, and soon after his return he published 
a volume giving a history of the mission. He 
died in 1869. 

Dr. Asa Thurston was born in Fitchburg, 
Massachusetts, October 12, 1787. He made a 
careful study and acquired thorough knowledge 
of the Hawaiian people, and for a time he was 
the instructor of both Kamehameha II. and Ka- 
mehameha III., and his influence over both was 
very great. It is an interesting fact that for 
forty-eight years he never left the islands. Dur- 



RELIGIOUS DEVELOPMENT OF HAWAII 109 

ing all this period he had the full respect of 
natives and foreigners alike. He clung to his 
work, notwithstanding his advanced age, until 
repeated strokes of paralysis compelled him to 
desist On the eleventh of May, 1868, at the age 
of eighty-one, he died in Honolulu. 

In 1828 a wonderful revival began in Oahu, 
Maui, and Hawaii, and it is said that the mis- 
sionaries scarcely had time to eat or sleep. The 
name of Titus Coan will ever be associated with 
this great work. He was born in Killingworth, 
Connecticut, February 1, 1801. In August, 1833, 
he sailed with Rev. William Armstrong on a mis- 
sion of exploration to Patagonia. Nothing was 
accomplished there. He could not speak to the 
natives ; he and his companions were practically 
prisoners, and their lives were in danger. Fi- 
nally they found a chance vessel, and employing 
some stratagem they escaped and reached New 
London, May, 1834. But Mr. Coan's heart was 
in missionary work and he could not be idle. 
On December 5, 1834, with six others under the 
American Board he sailed for the Hawaiian Is- 
lands, arriving at Honolulu June 6, 1835. Im- 
mediately he was stationed at Hilo ; and there 
he remained for forty-eight years — that is until 
his death. He was the Apostle Paul of that is- 
land and of all the Hawaiian Islands. 

Some missionary work had been done before 
his arrival, so that about one-third of the natives 
could read and a church of thirty-six members 
had been gathered. He at once began his apos- 
tolic tours, and by the close of the year had made 



IIO AROUND THE WORLD 

a circuit of the islands by canoe and on foot, a 
distance of three hundred miles. He ministered 
to both body and soul on this tour. Similar 
tours were made during succeeding years. The 
volcanic structure of the island made traveling 
difficult. Deep ravines and beetling crags often 
barred his way, and swollen torrents and foam- 
ing rivers threatened his life. Soon he sent out 
discreet and prayerful natives, two by two, to 
care for the dying and to bring back the prod- 
igals. They visited the villages, they climbed 
the mountains, traversed the forests, and ex- 
plored the glens, looking after the dying sons of 
Hawaii. 

In 1836 a new era began to dawn. Wherever 
Mr. Coan preached the people flocked to hear, 
and at the close of his sermons crowds stood 
around him inquiring the way of salvation. In 
1837 nearly the whole population of Hilo turned 
out to hear the word. The sick and lame were 
brought on litters and on the backs of men ; 
villagers came from many miles around; near 
the mission house they built booths in which 
they could find temporary homes that they 
might hear the word of God. The population 
of Hilo suddenly swelled from one thousand to 
ten thousand, and there was here literally a 
great camp-meeting for two years. Meetings for 
prayer and instruction were held daily, and 
schools were established for old and young. 
Often ten hours of the day were spent in teach- 
ing, preaching, and praying, Father Coan him- 
self preaching nearly all day at times. 



REUGIOUS DEVELOPMENT OE HAWAII III 

At intervals the people cultivated their taro 
patches. They also sought food in the ocean. 
The women taught the children to sew, to braid 
mats, to have regard to their persons, and, in a 
word, to observe the proprieties of a Christian 
civilization. At any hour of the day or night a 
tap of the bell was sufficient to call together an 
audience of from three thousand to six thousand. 
The staple theme was the great salvation through 
Jesus Christ. Many cried aloud for mercy. 
Often the sound of weeping silenced the voice 
of the preacher, and there were terrible displays 
of divine power. Often grossly wicked men 
and women fell in deep conviction. Thieves 
brought back what they had stolen ; quarrels 
were reconciled ; the lazy became industrious ; 
drunkards stopped drinking ; lewdness ceased ; 
and murderers confessed their crimes. 

There were also certain startling physical phe- 
nomena. Some of these phenomena seemed to 
be divine visitations. On November 7, 1837, 
Mr. Coan says : 

u As we were calling our domestics together 
for prayer we heard a heavy sound as of a falling 
mountain on the beach. This was succeeded by 
loud wailings and cries of distress extending for 
miles around the shores of the bay. The sea 
had all of a sudden risen in a gigantic wave, 
which, rushing in with the rapidity of a race- 
horse, had fallen on the shore, sweeping every- 
thing into indiscriminate ruin. The wave fell 
like a bolt from heaven, and no man had time 
to escape. In a moment hundreds of people 



112 AROUND THE WORLD 

were struggling with the raging billows and 
amidst the wreck of their earthly all. Some 
were dashed on the shore ; some were drawn out 
by friends ; some were carried out to sea by the 
receding current, and some sank to rise no more. 
It was probably the effect of a submarine vol- 
canic eruption near the mouth of the harbor. 
To the people it seemed as the voice of the Al- 
mighty God when he speaketh, and it appeared 
to promote the work of the Spirit then going 
on." 

The work went on during the following year. 
Mr. Coan labored earnestly in training the 
children, and among the converts were many 
of these. Among them were also the young 
and strong, the old and decrepit, the lame, the 
blind, the withered, the paralytic, and men and 
women who had been guilty of almost every sin. 
Months of careful scrutiny were passed before 
these persons were admitted, and the test of 
years showed that the transformations were 
wrought by a power beyond that of teacher or 
preacher. The industries of civilization largely 
took the place of savage indolence. The Sab- 
bath was generally observed, and a large propor- 
tion of the people learned to read and write. 
Churches were built, homes were improved, 
fields cultivated, and the whole aspect of the 
country improved. The churches began to 
reach out in true missionary endeavor to other 
islands, and sent a considerable number of their 
members to the Micronesian Islands. 

Mr. Coan's later years were given to the 



RELIGIOUS DEVELOPMENT OF HAWAII 113 

church in Hawaii, and in 1882, during another 
revival, he was stricken with paralysis, and in 
his eighty-second year died in the triumphs 
of faith. He was not only an apostolic mis- 
sionary, but also a careful observer of nature, 
and he contributed much to the scientific knowl- 
edge of the islands. 

The name of Richard Armstrong will ever be 
held in sacred remembrance because of his mis- 
sionary labors in these islands. Doctor Arm- 
strong's noble, useful, and honored life was 
brought to a close by his being thrown from his 
horse, a fortnight after which he died at Hono- 
lulu, September 23, i860. His family name 
was still further honored by the noble life and 
superb service of his son, General Armstrong. 

Foreign Churches. — There are such public 
buildings as the Odd Fellows' Hall, Public 
Library, and the Young Men's Christian As- 
sociation Hall. Its reading-room, parlors, 
gymnasium, and hall are all well arranged and 
appropriate. It is always delightful to the 
Christian tourist to see in foreign cities the 
words, u Young Men's Christian Association," 
over a building. A sense of kinship and Chris- 
tian fellowship at once comes into the heart. 
Rev. H. W. Peck, during the absence of the 
secretary, is ably performing his duties. On 
November 4, 1894, he organized an English- 
speaking Methodist church. It has now a mem- 
bership of forty-three, and it is expected that a 
suitable church edifice will be erected during 



114 AROUND THE WORLD 

the present year. Mr. Peck is also chaplain of 
the Senate. There is a German Methodist 
church here, which meets in the Young Men's 
Christian Association Hall. The pastor is Rev. 
L. E. Schneider. He preaches to good congre- 
gations and conducts the only Christian work 
in the city for Germans in their own language. 
There is also a Japanese Methodist church, with 
Rev. H. Kihara as pastor. This church also 
was organized in November, 1894. It now has 
a membership of over fifty. 

Our Methodist brethren are conducting a 
work on the Ewa plantation for English-speak- 
ing people, and they have a Japanese preacher 
on the Sprecklesville plantation, who preaches 
to nearly one thousand Japanese laborers. The 
Methodist Episcopal Church believes that these 
islands are soon to form a part of the United 
States, and their work here is put upon the same 
basis as their work in the United States. Their 
Hawaiian work belongs to the California Con- 
ference and is governed as such, being, as I 
understand the matter, the only case of the kind 
in their work outside of the United States. 

All the denominations will soon be in Hono- 
lulu. The Congregational, Episcopal, Metho- 
dist, Roman Catholic, Christian, Adventist, and 
Mormon Churches are already here ; so is the 
Salvation Army. It is quite certain that a rea- 
sonable multiplication of evangelical churches 
will greatly assist all the interests of our common 
Christianity, and vigorous, aggressive evange- 
listic work is needed both for natives and for- 



RELIGIOUS DEVELOPMENT OE HAWAII I15 

eigners on these islands. There is a goodly 
number of Baptists in Honolulu. They are now 
at work in different churches, and some of them 
are hoping that the day may soon come when 
they can organize for earnest Christian work in 
full harmony with their interpretation of the 
commands of Christ. 

The stay in Honolulu was in a sense a busy 
time in sight-seeing, receiving and returning 
social courtesies, and in speaking and writing. 
It was also a delightful time. Nothing can sur- 
pass the hospitality of the people of Honolulu. 
The dinner at the American Legation, with its 
choice company of guests, representing the gov- 
ernments of three nations, the navy and knight- 
hood, and also three denominations by their 
clergy, will continue to be a pleasant memory. 
Baskets of fruit and flowers testified to the kindly 
thought of the donors toward a newcomer in 
this cosmopolitan city when he returned from 
Hilo. The groups on the dock and the fraternal 
farewells take their place among memory's 
treasures. To the Hawaiian Islands I give my 
warmest " Aloha," and with another I sing, per- 
haps with the exaggeration inseparable appar- 
ently from a visit here : 

Hawaii nei — of many one thou art, 

Each scattered fragment an essential part. 

No jeweled setting is more fair than thee, 
O em' raid cluster in a beryl sea. 

Thy life is music ; Fate, the notes prolong ! 
Each isle a stanza and the whole a song. 



X 

AT SEA AGAIN 

THE departure from Honolulu was worthy 
of description. So great was the hospi- 
tality of the Honolulu friends that leaving them 
was not unlike leaving home again. Rev. T. D. 
Garvin courteously drove me to the wharf, which 
was crowded with the people of the town who 
had come to see the steamer leave. The arrival 
and departure of the steamers are events of great 
interest in this island city. As I stepped on the 
gangway two native women, whom I had met 
several times at the services of the Christian 
Church, threw over my head garlands of flowers, 
the beautiful leis which form a marked feature 
in the life of Honolulu. 

The natives are fond of flowers, aud the leis 
they make with rare skill and beauty. The 
white people have adopted the custom of adorn- 
ing themselves with these garlands, and often 
passengers are almost covered with these ex- 
pressions of affection and taste. Civilization is 
robbing the world of the original peculiarities 
of different countries, but this unique Hawaiian 
custom ought to survive. My appearance as I 
went on board the steamer would have amused 
friends at home to whom this beautiful Hawaiian 

116 



AT SEA AGAIN 117 



custom is unknown. The kindness of these 
women was characteristic of the warm-hearted 
race to which they belong. 

At the head of the gang-plank stood Mrs. S. 
A. Oilman and Dr. and Mrs. Gulick and others. 
Mrs. Gilman's thoughtfulness was shown in 
gifts of choice flowers and luscious fruits. This 
worthy woman once had for pastors, Drs. D. C. 
Eddy and A. H. Burlingham ; but for fifteen 
years she had not witnessed the observance of 
the ordinance of baptism until it was adminis- 
tered by Mr. Garvin of the Christian Church 
soon after he went to Honolulu. She cannot 
now speak without tears of the joy she experi- 
enced when she again witnessed our Lord's sig- 
nificant and beautiful ordinance. It is a thou- 
sand pities that so many churches rob themselves 
of the symbolic teaching and great spiritual 
blessings which accompany the observance of 
the Lord's baptism. 

It was a pleasure to receive the good-bye of 
Mr. Edward L. Marshall, formerly of the War- 
burton Avenue Church, Yonkers. The basket 
of delicious Hawaiian grapes which he sent to 
cabin No. 27 gave daily pleasure during the en- 
tire journey to Yokohama. The raising of 
grapes of this excellent quality is practically a 
new industry at Honolulu ; it is as yet largely 
in the hands of the Portuguese, and promises 
soon to be a very valuable addition to the pro- 
ducts of the island of Oahu. The courtesy of 
the Hon. Francis M. Hatch, minister of foreign 
affairs, and of Mr. F. W. Damon in coming to 



Il8 AROUND THE WORLD 

give their good wishes to the departing visitor 
was much appreciated. The Hawaiian band 
played national and other airs, the Hawaiian 
boys dived for pennies ; the numerous American 
and Hawaiian friends waved their good-byes, 
and soon the good ship " Coptic " slowly glided 
out of the harbor over the many colored waves ; 
and before long the many colored hills faded out 
of sight. Honolulu is now a beautiful memory. 
The boundless expanse of the Pacific, typifying 
infinite space, is on every side ; and three thou- 
sand five hundred miles distant are the shores of 
Japan. To God body and soul are committed 
anew, as with thoughts of family and church, 
the face is turned toward the distant coast. 

The Ship and Passengers. — The "Coptic" 
is a good ship. She once sailed in the White 
Star fleet in the Australia trade, but recently she 
was entirely overhauled and put into this trade. 
She arrived in Honolulu a day before her 
schedule time, thus affording the passengers 
from San Francisco an opportunity to get a good 
view of the Hawaiian capital before proceeding 
on their journey to Yokohama. The ship is 
scrupulously neat and clean in every part ; the 
cabin and table linen is abundant and spotless. 
She is officered by Englishmen and Americans. 
Captain Lindsay is a Scotch-Englishman and, 
although only in middle life, is an experienced 
officer. The steward is a mulatto who has had 
much experience in catering for clubs in San 
Francisco, and thoroughly understands his bus- 



AT SEA AGAIN 119 



iness. The cooks, the waiters, and the crew are 
all Chinese ; and the captain says that under 
proper leadership there are no better sailors. It 
is said by the steward that when he has trained 
his men for their work there are no better cooks 
and waiters than the Chinese. They are docile, 
workful, and faithful. They do not steal, as the 
steward says other waiters and cabin-stewards 
always do. There is no show of authority any- 
where on the ship, but the discipline is all the 
more effective because it is not manifested in 
the reiteration of commands. The table is ex- 
cellent and the ship is thoroughly ventilated. In 
this latter respect great improvements have been 
made on most ships in quite recent years. 

There were only twenty-two cabin passengers, 
and we were all grateful that the number was 
so small. Each passenger who so desired could 
have an entire sleeping cabin ; and only those 
who have had a disagreeable cabin-mate in 
rough weather at sea can fully appreciate the 
blessing of being alone. Even if the cabin- 
mate is agreeable and the weather is pleasant, 
still it is a great privilege to be alone rather 
than with a stranger. Among our number were 
two young men who had been with me on the 
"Australia" from San Francisco to Honolulu; 
at the latter place these two young men from 
Milwaukee were joined by an American Ha- 
waiian. They had been fellow-students at Har- 
vard, and were on their way around the world, 
and having plenty of time and other necessary 
requisites, they expected to take about two years 



120 AROUND THE WORU) 

for the trip ; but some of us for very obvious 
reasons cannot travel so leisurely. There were 
two Russian physicians who had been sent out 
by their government to make a careful study of 
all that medical science has learned of cholera. 
They had been in Paris, London, and New York, 
then they had crossed the continent to San 
Francisco, and after spending some time in 
Japan they would visit Vladivostok, and so reach 
home. 

At the captain's table, in addition to the 
young gentlemen named and some of the 
younger officers of the ship, we had a small but 
interesting group of missionaries. First of the 
number is Mrs. J. W. Lambuth, who with her 
late husband, the Rev. J. W. Lambuth, sailed 
from New York, in May, 1854, for China, as a 
missionary under the direction of the M. E. 
Church, South. They began their work in 
Shanghai, and continued in it there until July, 
1886, when they shared in the planting of a 
similar work in Japan. Doctor Lambuth did 
much work as a translator of religious literature 
into the languages of China and Japan. He also 
translated a part of the Bible into colloquial 
Chinese, being one of the committee authorized 
by the American Bible Society for that work. 
Mrs. Lambuth also translated several works, and 
for many years she conducted the Clopton School 
for girls in Shanghai. She also founded the 
day schools for children and Bible women. On 
reaching Japan both began the study of Japanese 
with the enthusiasm of youth. To the success- 



AT SEA AGAIN 121 



ful Industrial and Bible Training School which 
they established in Kobe, Mrs. Lambuth is now 
returning to put it on a firm basis. Doctor 
Lambuth died in Kobe, in April, 1892, and is 
buried there. Their son, Dr. W. R. Lambuth, 
was for several years a medical missionary in 
China ; he is now one of the secretaries of the 
Board of Missions, located in Nashville, Tenn. 
Their daughter is the wife of W. H. Park, m. d., 
with whom she is now returning, he to take 
charge of the mission hospital in Soochow, 
China. The younger son is studying medicine 
in America, and hopes later to join Doctor Park 
in the hospital work in Soochow. The children 
thus show the true missionary spirit. 

With them is Miss Nu King Kng, m. d., a 
most interesting young Chinese woman. Her 
name means Golden Nightingale Grant. She 
came to America eleven years ago and was at 
that time unable to speak a word of English. 
Her grandfather was one of the earliest converts ; 
her father was a Methodist preacher and presid- 
ing elder. There were three children — one, the 
son, was a missionary, one daughter a teacher, 
and this one a medical missionary. She was 
graduated with honors at the Woman's Medical 
College, Philadelphia, in 1894, and then took a 
graduate course for one year. She has made a 
specialty of the diseases of women and children, 
and has also given much attention to diseases 
of the eye. She will be one of the internes 
in the hospital for women at Foochow. Her 
knowledge of medicine will give her access to 



122 AROUND THE WORU3 

the homes of wealthy heathen families, thus 
proving a golden key to open all doors. 

The Chinese Steerage. — We had about 
four hundred Chinese in the steerage, some 
having come from San Francisco and the others 
from Honolulu. Very few emigrate to America 
with the purpose of making a home there ; 
sooner or later the great majority expect to re- 
turn to the Celestial Empire. There was also 
a number of Japanese going to their home, some 
of these being cabin passengers. The Chinese 
pay fifty-two dollars for their passage from San 
Francisco, and forty dollars from Honolulu. 
The ship gives them their food with their pas- 
sage for these sums, and as the food is only 
boiled rice seasoned with dried fish or curry, and 
can be furnished at a cost of eight or ten cents a 
day, the ship makes a liberal profit out of these 
steerage passengers. 

There was no second cabin on this ship, but 
there was a compartment known as the European 
steerage, — all who are not Mongolians by this 
classification being called Europeans. An officer 
informed me that there was the sum of a million 
dollars in specie on board. This money was 
going to China and Japan to pay for goods sold 
in San Francisco and Honolulu by merchants of 
these nationalities. He also told me that these 
four hundred steerage passengers were probably 
carrying back not less than half a million dollars 
in specie as the result of their savings. They 
landed in America without a dollar ; they re- 



AT SEA AGAIN I 23 



turned to China with money enough, in many 
cases, to enable them to live without labor for 
the rest of their lives. They thus carry great 
sums of money from the United States, and the 
complaint of many Americans seems to be justi- 
fied ; but, as Mr. Ballou remarks, in his " Due 
West," the Chinese leave behind them the result 
of their labor, and this is practically so much 
money. Their labor has built many of our rail- 
ways, dug our canals, and forwarded many pub- 
lic works. We ought to look at that side, even 
while we regret seeing so much money leave our 
shores, which if in the hands of most other 
workingmen would be spent in America. 

The Chinese were thickly packed in the steer- 
age. Fortunately for them the weather was fine 
and the sea smooth. They squatted about the 
hatchways or lay on the lower decks ; but in 
spite of the enforced ventilation in their close 
quarters, noxious odors were occasionally whiffed 
from them to the upper deck and to the first- 
class cabin. Some venturesome passengers went 
once with the doctor on his rounds, and once 
was quite enough. Here were Chinese old and 
sick going home to die ; some of them were 
almost nude as they lay on the floor or in their 
bunks. Some were smoking their opium pipes. 
Several died during the voyage, and their bodies 
were hastily embalmed by the ship's surgeon. 
We were told that on a voyage- on another ship 
of this line there were forty-nine deaths among 
the Chinese. 

It is an article of their creed that their souls 



124 AROUND THE WORLD 

cannot rest in peace unless their bodies are 
buried in the land of their birth. Even though 
they are buried outside of China, sooner or later, 
if possible, their bones at least are dug up and 
sent home by their friends. These ships carry 
bodies and bones as merchandise, and do no 
small amount of business in this way, realizing 
a good profit out of this Chinese superstition. 
On a recent trip, when a poor man died his 
countrymen raised among themselves two hun- 
dred dollars to pay for embalming and burying 
his body. Sometimes sanitary considerations 
compel the officers to bury a body in the sea ; 
but only under urgent necessity is this done, as 
it almost creates a rebellion among Chinese pas- 
sengers. It is said that during a storm they cast 
into the sea pieces of joss-paper bearing mystical 
Chinese characters, in order to appease the anger 
of the gods who, as they suppose, preside over 
the winds and the waves. 

On this trip they played games of chance con- 
stantly, and finally some of their leaders secured 
possession of the firemen's room and opened 
their regular "fan-tan" game. This they played 
night and day. At times their excitement was 
great and piles of silver and gold were lost and 
won, the manager of the game coming in, as a 
rule, for the lion's share. There is apparently 
no skill whatever in this game ; it is purely a 
matter of chance. It made one's heart ache to 
see these hard-working fellows beggar them- 
selves in this way. It is said that they will 
play away nearly all their clothes ; indeed, some 



AT SEA AGAIN 1 25 



of them looked as if already they had reached 
that point. Some passengers wondered that the 
ship permitted open gambling, but we know how 
common it is on the Atlantic liners. Some won- 
dered that the Chinese should be such fools, but 
we know such who are not Chinese. 

Mid-ocean Pastimes. — This was a trip re- 
markable for bright weather and a smooth sea. 
The passengers from San Francisco said that it 
was just so between that city and Honolulu. 
They sailed among hundreds of whales soon 
after leaving the Golden Gate. These dashed 
along the sides of the ship, spouted the water in 
streams, and joyously disported themselves in 
many ways. Day after day we plowed through 
the beautifully blue waters of this peaceful Pa- 
cific. Sometimes this ocean is anything but pa- 
cific, but on this occasion it was as calm, with 
rare and brief exceptions, as an inland lake. 
For almost the first time I experienced the 
charm of life at sea, life on the ocean-wave, life 
when you are not " rocked in the cradle of the 
deep." Such rocking may do very well in songs, 
but in experience it is horrible. Part of the way 
the moon shone brightly ; all the way the stars 
shone with a nearness and brightness which we 
never see at home. Night after night our ports 
were wide open, the air was pure, our appetites 
good, our tempers unruffled, and we were enjoy- 
ing rest in great and solid slices. It is almost 
impossible to conceive how more rest could be 
had than on board the " Coptic " on this trip. 



126 AROUND THE WORI.D 

Some of the cabin passengers played cards, 
and some the various games common to the 
decks of ships ; but the majority spent most of 
their time in reading. Before leaving Honolulu 
I got the leading magazines for July, they hav- 
ing come in on the "Coptic." In addition to the 
literature which passengers carried, there was a 
well-selected library on board, and at 10 A. m. 
and 4 p. m. the librarian was present to give out 
books. In it were some of the latest and most 
popular books, and what especially interested 
me, a good collection of the most recent and au- 
thoritative books on China and Japan. A man 
sees in any country only what he brings with 
him eyes to see, and he ought at least to know 
the salient points in the history and geography 
of the countries he proposes to visit. The books 
in this library well supplemented those already 
read ; it thus came to pass that each day testified 
to the reading of about one volume on the his- 
tory and customs of India, China, and Japan. 
The passengers looked interesting in their white 
duck or flannel suits, their canvas shoes and light 
caps or hats, and all the officers of the ship were 
similarly dressed. We often with much amuse- 
ment contrasted our present appearance with 
that of passengers on Atlantic trips when rugs, 
ulsters, and tight caps and gloves are a necessity. 
Even these wraps cannot entirely keep out the 
piercing winds of the Atlantic. When our ship 
got as far west as 160 east from Greenwich the 
warm and moist air of the Japan stream was 
almost too warm and moist for comfort, but for 



AT SEA AGAIN I 27 



the most part there was neither too much heat 
nor cold for an ideal trip. 

Crossing the Line. — This was to most of 
us a unique experience. Indeed, it is one of the 
notable incidents of a first voyage across the Pa- 
cific. This "line" is the 180th meridian; it 
marks the division between the Eastern and the 
Western hemispheres, and is the exact antipode 
of Greenwich. It is almost midway in our 
course. It is the custom to drop a day on cross- 
ing this line. "The day recorded in the almanac 
as Monday begins when the sun crosses this me- 
ridian ; it is noon of that day when the meridian 
at Greenwich is crossed, and the day closes when 
the 180th meridian is again reached." At this 
point the almanac is confused by losing or gain- 
ing a day according to the direction of the voy- 
age. Going westward we lose a day ; returning 
by the same route we recover the lost day, but 
going back to America by another route, so far 
as the calendar is concerned, we shall never re- 
cover the lost day. It is not common to drop 
Sunday or to double it ; and if the meridian is 
crossed on Sunday usually no change is made. 
But on this ship we had no Sunday ; we went at 
once from Saturday to Monday. It was a strange 
experience. 

Sometimes passengers convivially celebrate 
the crossing of the line ; they watch the exact 
moment of transit, and then are supposed to feel 
the ship's keel grate on the line, and they can 
see the line through a glass especially prepared 



128 AROUND THE WORLD 

to deceive them by having a cobweb thread 
across a lens. But neither our officers nor pas- 
sengers were likely to see doubly or darkly, for 
we were a sober company. But, of course, it 
was easy to imagine after we had crossed the 
line that the up-grade of our journey was over 
and that henceforth we were running down-hill 
from the great meridian. At this season the 
ships of this line take the northerly route. No 
icebergs ever float in the waters of the north 
Pacific ; we expected to sight perhaps another 
steamer of the same line, but only a whale, a lot 
of porpoises, phosphorescent waves, sunny days 
and beautiful nights, marked the trip, which 
was almost as smooth as a night's sail on the 
Hudson. 

Arriving at Yokohama. — The schedule 
time from Honolulu to Yokohama is twelve 
days, but we made the trip in nine days and 
seven hours. This was, therefore, a record- 
breaking journey. The captain greatly prided 
himself on the surprise which he would give to 
the officers of his company. As we neared the 
" Land of the Rising Sun " night was coming on 
and the view of Yokohama from the bay we 
could not fully get ; neither could we get a 
glimpse of Fujiyama; but we saw the rugged 
coast, along which for some time we sailed. 
Many strange thoughts filled our minds as we 
entered Yedo Bay. Yokohama was only a fish- 
ing village when, in 1854, Commodore Perry en- 
tered this bay ; now it is a great and rapidly 



AT SEA AGAIN 1 2 9 



growing city. Then Japan was barely induced 
to make treaties with outside peoples ; now she 
is their earnest pupil. Christianity is getting a 
firm foothold, and Japan is taking her place 
among the great and progressive nations of the 
world. In the last ten years Japan has made 
more history for herself than during the preced- 
ing two and a half centuries. Within a genera- 
tion she has accomplished wonderful transforma- 
tions. This is the period of her " renaissance," 
in which she has exchanged a feudal system for 
a constitutional monarchy, has extinguished the 
privileges of a military class, and the people have 
elected a lower house of parliament. She has 
overthrown the usurpations of the emperor's 
functions by the shognns, and in 1868 she re- 
stored the emperor to actual power. She is 
now flushed with her recent victory and is in 
danger of being carried away by her military 
ambitions. 

But apart from these graver thoughts there 
are others of a lighter kind. We are coming to 
fan land, to islands of porcelain, to the country 
of chrysanthemums. We look out on the lights 
of Yokohama. The rain is falling heavily. The 
ship is stopping. See the steam launches which 
bear down upon us to carry passengers to the 
hotels and to bear off the mails. See the sam- 
pans which are ready to carry off the steerage 
passengers, a queer craft with the bare-legged 
boatmen in their strange picturesqueness. It is 
all just like the picture books. Out we go over 
boats and amid shouting boatmen. The customs 



130 AROUJSTD the world 

examinations are merely nominal ; only the con- 
traband opium is likely to cause trouble. See 
the rows of jinrikisha men with their queer lan- 
terns waiting for calls. Here we are at the hotel 
on the Bund looking out on the bay with its re- 
flection of the lights of ships, streets, and hotels, 
and we really are in Japan. 



XI 

JAPANESE HISTORY 

WHEN Marco Polo in 1295 returned from 
his travels in China, he gave the world its 
first knowledge of the Japanese empire. In 
China he had been told of an island called "Ci- 
pango," in the high seas fifteen hundred miles 
from the continent. From this name the Japa- 
nese derived the name Nippon ; to this they pre- 
fixed the word " Dai," meaning great, and so they 
called their islands Dai Nippon, and this name 
they still use. Europeans transformed the name 
into Japon or Japan, "Land of the rising sun." 

Early Japan. — Marco Polo's discovery pro- 
duced a profound impression, and to visit this 
reputedly rich island was one of the objects of 
ambition on the part of different nations. Japan 
consists of four large islands and not fewer than 
three thousand small ones. On these islands 
there are many volcanic peaks which rise to a 
great elevation ; the highest of these is Fujisan, 
better known to us as Fujiyama, " matchless 
mountain." It is nearly conical in shape, al- 
though the volcanic eruption in 1707 somewhat 
deformed one of its sides. It frequently appears 
in paintings of many landscapes though they are 

131 



132 AROUND THE WORLD 

far distant from it. It is sixty miles from Tokyo 
in a direct line. For ten months of the year its 
top is covered with snow. Its height is put 
down at twelve thousand three hundred and 
sixty-five feet, although perhaps a few feet more 
or less may be reckoned in order to give it as 
many thousands as there are months in the year, 
and so many hundreds as there are days in the 
year. This mountain is in some sense an object 
of religious reverence, and large numbers of pil- 
grims annually visit it. The Japanese love the 
grand and beautiful, and a skillful appeal is 
made to this feeling in the location of Buddhist 
and Shinto temples and shrines. Asamayama is 
over eight thousand feet high, and it has the ad- 
ditional interest of being an active volcano. Its 
crater is more than a mile in circumference, and 
the rumbling noise which it gives forth can 
often be heard at a distance of twenty miles 
from its base. 

All these islands are, and always have been, 
remarkable for frequent earthquakes ; as many 
as five hundred shocks have occurred in Japan 
in a single year, but many of them were quite 
slight. In 1891 there was a severe shock in the 
main island, and in 1854 a series of shocks fol- 
lowed by tidal waves took place on the east coast 
of this island. In Japan, as in the Hawaiian Is- 
lands and elsewhere, volcanoes are closely associ- 
ated with earthquakes. It is claimed by those 
competent to judge, that the long line of islands 
stretching from Kamtschatka to Borneo is the 
product of volcanic action. Without doubt glo- 



JAPANESE HISTORY 1 33 

rious Fujiyama was thrown up to its sublime 
height as a volcano. Lakes are numerous in the 
mountainous districts ; there is a legend that 
Biwa, the largest lake in the main island, came 
into existence in a single night when Fujiyama, 
three hundred miles distant, was thrown up to 
its present height. There are no rivers of great 
size in Japan, as the islands are narrow. 

Among the people of the island, the Ainos are 
a distinct race ; a small number of them is still 
found in the island of Yezo, and also in the is- 
land of Saghalien ; most of them, however, re- 
moved in 1875 from this latter island when part 
of it was then given to Russia in exchange for 
the Kurile Islands. Probably the Ainos are the 
original race. For long periods the military 
forces of the empire were employed to suppress 
this barbarous race ; but years of repression have 
made their descendants an inoffensive people. 
In 1880 their number in the island of Yezo was 
something over sixteen thousand, and it is grad- 
ually decreasing. Physically they are a sturdy 
people, being characterized by bushy heads of 
hair, great beards, and an abundant growth of 
hair on the body generally. They have few arts, 
no written language, no pictorial writing, and 
only the rudest implements and the vaguest re- 
ligious ideas. They have very strange super- 
stitions regarding the bear ; often a young cub 
is secured, brought to the home, and nourished 
by the woman as if it were a child. It is later 
confined in a cage and is finally killed when the 
great bear festival is held. The people feast 



134 AROUND THE WORLD 

with delight on its meat. The men are con- 
firmed sake drinkers, a habit which they have 
learned from the Japanese. Some mission work 
is going on among them, but as the difficulties 
of the work are great and their numbers are con- 
stantly decreasing, it has seemed wiser to keep 
workers in more needful and hopeful fields. 

The Shinto religion is rightly regarded as the 
primitive belief of the Japanese people ; it is 
known to have prevailed long before priests 
from Korea propagated Buddhism. Shintoism 
is a mixture of ancestor and nature worship. It 
is now more political than religious. Moto-ori, 
a writer of the eighteenth century, and the great- 
est advocate of Shintoism, is quoted by Doctor 
Murray, in his "Japan," as admitting that Shin- 
toism has no moral code. He affirms that 
"morals" were invented by the Chinese, as they 
were an immoral people, but that the Japanese 
had only to consult their own hearts. 

As early as A. D. 284 Chinese literature was 
introduced into Japan. For three thousand years 
before the Christian era China was one of the 
cultured nations of the earth, and long before 
the Japanese had emerged into a recognized ex- 
istence the Chinese were a civilized people. No 
doubt the Japanese were originally closely related 
to some sections of the Chinese. They early 
accepted the Chinese written language, and 
Chinese philosophy and religion. In this way 
Buddhism, with its priesthood, ritual, and dogma, 
secured a foothold ; indeed, they allowed this 
imported faith to reduce the supporters of their 



JAPANESE HISTORY 1 35 

primitive religion to a small minority. Every- 
thing Chinese was esteemed and its learning was 
eagerly sought, and respect for the Chinese led 
to the early introduction of the Chinese system 
of official rank. 

Introduction of Catholicism. — In 1542 
the Portuguese made their first appearance in 
Japan; and in 1547 Pinto made a second visit 
in the interests of trade. On the occasion of 
this visit he took away two fugitives who ap- 
pealed to him from the shore. They were taken 
in a Portuguese ship to Malacca, where Pinto 
met Father Francis Xavier, who had just arrived 
from his mission to the East. At once he be- 
came interested in these two Japanese. They 
were sent to Goa, the chief seat of Jesuit learn- 
ing in the East Indies, and there they were con- 
verted and baptized. They learned the Portu- 
guese language and the elements of Christianity. 
With them as helpers, Xavier arrived in Japan 
August 15, 1549, at Kagoshima, the capital of 
the province of Satsuma. 

Wonderful stories are told of Xavier's powers 
as a miracle-worker, although he himself does not 
claim such power. But his biographers and the 
papal bull announcing his canonization distinctly 
claim for him the power of working miracles. 
He endured great sufferings and performed heroic 
services, sufferings and services worthy of a purer 
faith. He finally sailed for China, as his work was 
so discouraging in Japan, and at the little island of 
Sancian, while on his way, he died, December 22, 



136 AROUND THE WORIJ) 



1552, aged forty-six; but he sowed seed in Japan 
whose fruits are reaped even to this day. In 
1573 Nagasaki was nominally a Christian City ; 
in 1587 an edict was issued expelling all foreign 
religious teachers from Japan within twenty days, 
on pain of death. Romanists were having in 
Japan an application of their own doctrine of 
persecution which at that very time Philip II. 
was so satanically inflicting on the Netherlands, 
and they brought this prohibition on themselves 
by their internal jealousies and their interference 
with political affairs. Wherever in Japan the 
Jesuits had obtained the ascendency they endeav- 
ored by persecution to compel all the people to 
adopt their faith. 

Pope Gregory XIII., who had received a dele- 
gation of Japanese representatives, issued a brief 
in 1585 that no religious teachers except Jesuits 
should be allowed in Japan ; this brief was in- 
tended to prevent the bitter rivalries between 
different wings within the Roman Church — bit- 
ter then and equally bitter to-day. This action 
of the pope was intensely distasteful to the Do- 
minicans and Franciscans. Spanish merchants 
were also envious of the Portuguese merchants 
who had secured so large a share of the Japanese 
trade. The Jesuits and Franciscans became still 
more embittered against one another ; if half 
which each said of the other was true, neither was 
worthy of the confidence of the Japanese people. 

The result was that when Hideyoshi came into 
power, while the Portuguese were permitted to 
traffic in the ports they were forbidden, under pain 



JAPANESE HISTORY 137 

of having their ships confiscated, to bring in any 
foreign religion. As a result a number of both 
Franciscans and Jesuits in Osaka and Kyoto were 
taken to Nagasaki and there burned. Churches, 
colleges, and hospitals had been founded and were 
flourishing. That the Roman Church should 
suffer persecution in Japan was quite natural, for 
the Roman Church was then inflicting the most 
atrocious cruelties upon Protestants in Spain 
and in the Netherlands. The princes of Omura 
and Arima came under the influence of Roman- 
ism, and they at once followed the advice of the 
Jesuit fathers in inflicting punishment on their 
heathen neighbors to compel them to accept Ro- 
manism. The Jesuits taught the native Chris- 
tian rulers to persecute. Now when the native 
rulers were not Christian they gave the Jesuit 
fathers the treatment which those fathers recom- 
mended to be given to the heathen to compel 
them to become Romanists. These fathers were 
simply asked to take their own medicine. 

Overthrow of the Jesuits. — When Ieyasu 
became ruler he determined to enforce the edict 
against the Romanists, and they needlessly pro- 
voked and even defied the civil authorities. In 
the face of his proclamation they celebrated in a 
most gorgeous manner the beatification of Ig-na- 
this Loyola, the founder and first general of the 
Society of Jesuits. The bishop appeared in pon- 
tifical robes, and the Franciscans, Dominicans, 
and Augustinians made a solemn procession 
through the city. Thus they defiantly disobeyed 



138 AROUND THE WORLD 

the orders which had been issued against such 
public displays. The result was that many Ro- 
manists were banished and their estates confis- 
cated. 

Next came the English and Dutch seeking 
for trade, of which the Portuguese, through the 
Jesuits, had a monopoly. These newcomers had 
only to confirm what the Spanish and Portuguese 
had said of each other to excite in the minds of 
the Japanese the gravest fears as to the designs 
of the Jesuit priests of Spain and Portugal. The 
Jesuit historians tell with delight how a Spanish 
friar, in order to sustain the authority of the 
Roman Church, which a Hollander denied, un- 
dertook to walk on the sea; he prepared himself 
by prayer and fasting and in the presence of a 
great crowd of the Japanese, stepped, crucifix in 
hand, into the water, and then went floundering 
overhead and was saved from drowning by some 
boats which went to his assistance. 

I sympathize with the Romanists who suffered 
for their faith, but they brought their persecu- 
tion on themselves. In 161 6 persecution against 
them was terribly bitter. They were hurled from 
the tops of precipices, and some were burned 
alive. Every form of cruelty was practised. Be- 
tween 1 61 6 and 1622 hundreds and thousands 
were put to death, and their heroism aroused the 
greatest enthusiasm among their co-religionists. 
A form of inquisition was adopted somewhat 
similar to that introduced by Romanists in 
Spain, and burning and beheading went on con- 
tinually. Some priests renounced their faith, 



JAPANESE HISTORY 1 39 

but many died the death of martyrs. Many en- 
dured tortures worse than death, and with a 
heroism worthy of all praise. So terrible were 
the persecutions that while in Nagasaki in 1626 
there were forty thousand nominal Christians,. in 
1629 there was not one left who would acknowl- 
edge that he was a Christian. Among other 
tests was that known as trampling on the cross. 
At first pieces of paper were used, then slabs of 
wood, and finally, in 1660, bronze plates. These 
were five inches long, four inches wide, and one 
inch thick, and they had on them an image of 
Christ on the cross. The heads of each house, 
the children, and the servants, were called on to 
tread on this plate. 

Then came a revolt known as the Shimabara 
rebellion, in which the Dutch took part against 
the Romanists. The action of the Dutch led to 
much ill-feeling, severe charges, and numerous 
explanations. It seemed as if the Roman Church 
had received its deathblow in the empire. A 
general massacre followed the collapse of the re- 
bellion. There were about forty thousand rebels, 
and they all practically were put to death, some 
of them having been crucified. Some say that 
many were thrown from the rocks of Pappenberg 
Island into the sea, but others affirm that noth- 
ing of the kind took place. 

A Japanese writer says that after nearly one 
hundred years of effort the only apparent results 
of the introduction of the Roman Church, "were 
the adoption of gunpowder and firearms as 
weapons, the use of tobacco, the making of 



140 AROUND THE WORLD 

sponge cake, the naturalization into the language 
of a few foreign words, and the introduction of 
new and strange forms of disease." But this 
writer was mistaken. With all the vigilance 
and cruelty of the government, the Christian 
faith still survived. In the villages around Na- 
gasaki there were discovered in 1865 communi- 
ties which had worship in secret and had kept 
alive for more than two centuries the religion of 
their ancestors. Without teachers and almost 
without printed instruction, they had maintained 
by tradition a knowledge of the faith of their 
persecuted fathers. 

The Roman Church has been active in Japan 
during recent years. The missionaries are mostly 
French. The converts are largely from the low- 
est classes, while professors, journalists, lawyers, 
editors, and other educated Japanese, are found 
in the Protestant churches. There is one relig- 
ious newspaper published in the interests of the 
Roman Church, and the zeal of the missionaries 
is worthy of all praise. The numbers are, per- 
haps, about the same as those of the Protestant 
churches, but the number of native Jesuits is 
very small. The Roman Church gives the na- 
tive Japanese in its communion but little free- 
dom of thought or action. When one sees the 
similarity between the heathen worship in Bud- 
dhist temples and many of the rites of the Ro- 
man Church he might suppose that Romanism 
could easily capture Japan, but such is not the 
case. 

We would not justify the cruelties inflicted on 



JAPANESE HISTORY 141 

the Jesuits when they were deported in October, 
1614, but it is easy to account for a part at least 
of the bitterness of the Japanese rulers. I have, 
since I came to Japan, gone carefully over the 
history of this period of persecution by the 
heathen, and I am prepared to prove that the 
Romanists in inventiveness of torture, in cold- 
blooded cruelty, and in purely satanic ferocity 
have repeatedly far surpassed their Japanese per- 
secutors. 

We owe a debt of gratitude to the Dutch for 
what they accomplished in opening Japan to the 
world. The Dutch planted many seeds of foreign 
ideas in Japanese soil. The conduct of the Jes- 
uits led the Japanese greatly to distrust all for- 
eigners, and doubtless this distrust helped to 
keep Japan closed for years, and rivalry between 
the Dutch and Portuguese led to the banishment 
of the latter. The Russians made many attempts 
to open intercourse with Japan. So did the 
United States and Great Britain. But all were 
rebuffed. 

Opening of the Country. — The discovery 
of gold in California in 1848 was an active cause 
of the opening of negotiations with Japan. It 
was very desirable that steamers be run from 
San Francisco to Hongkong, a distance of about 
six thousand miles, but it was important that a 
coaling station be found on the Japanese islands. 
Commodore Perry, after many conferences on the 
part of our government, and many international 
discussions and painful delays, entered Yedo Bay 



142 AROUND THE WORLD 

July 8, 1853, witn tne "Plymouth" and the 
" Saratoga." The Dutch warned the Japanese 
government of the coming of this expedition. 
As the two steam frigates and two sloops-of- 
war plowed through the peaceful waters every 
height along the shore was alive with troops 
and alarmed people. Commodore Perry would 
not conduct his business through the Dutch or 
the Chinese. He honored the Japanese, and he 
determined that they should honor Americans. 
No doubt he relied on his display of force in 
part for the success of his expedition, but he 
conducted all his negotiations with great cour- 
tesy and wisdom. On February 2, 1854, he ap- 
peared again in Yedo Bay. The signing of 
negotiations took place March 31, 1854, and this 
first formal treaty with any western country was 
soon completed. Other nations rushed in to 
obtain similar terms. Japan was opened, and 
America was honored. 

The Japanese were divided by these transac- 
tions into two parties, one of which was bitterly 
opposed to all dealings with foreign nations. 
The story is long and interesting and marked 
by bitterness and blood ; it shows how Japan 
finally came into her place of honor among the 
nations of civilization. Her old feudalism had 
to be overthrown, daimios had to renounce their 
power, and her shoguns had to lose their influ- 
ence. But for a time intense dissatisfaction and 
great excitement prevailed. A marvelous revo- 
lution has taken place. It was found in 1865 
that several Christian communities in the neigh- 



JAPANESE HISTORY 1 43 

borhood of Nagasaki had maintained in secret 
an existence ever since the seventeenth century. 
In 1868 the public edict-boards announced that 
" the evil sect called Christian is strictly prohib- 
ited." The Jesuits were supposed to be identical 
with Christians of other names. Ministers of 
foreign powers remonstrated, but the Japanese 
justified their procedure because of the conduct 
of the Jesuits of the preceding centuries. Some 
Christians were deported, but in March, 1872, 
those who were exiled were permitted to return, 
and, thank God, persecution for religious belief 
was ended ! The Japanese had unlearned the 
lesson of cruelty which the Jesuits had taught 
them and from which the Jesuits had themselves 
to suffer. The recent war with China has brought 
Japan into the front rank among the nations. 
She will henceforth sit in an honored place in 
all their councils. God grant that Jesus Christ 
may be enthroned in the new Japan which to- 
day we see ! 

Various Items. — All that concerns Japan, 
with its strangely picturesque scenery, its unique 
art, its historic associations, its peculiar native 
life, and its recent development of national 
power, is of interest to the tourist, the student, 
the publicist, and the man of business. This 
far-away corner of the Orient has recently 
challenged universal attention. Here the most 
experienced traveler in Europe will find fresh 
experiences and entirely new scenes. Within 
less than three decades Japan has emerged from 



144 around The; world 

her Oriental seclusion of the ages, and Japan 
is being rapidly transformed into New Japan; 
and the Japan of to-day furnishes a picture of 
the commingling of the old and the new. It 
is claimed that the first emperor, the founder of 
the present dynasty, ascended the throne 660 B. c. 
While Rome, Athens, and countless cities with 
massive structures and imperishable histories, 
have passed away as peoples, Japan remains. 
The people, while gentle and courteous, still 
preserve the brave and martial spirit of their 
ancestors. 

The empire of Japan stretches through nearly 
27 of latitude, and more than 33 H° °f longi- 
tude. The islands form a line of more than two 
thousand miles, and the whole empire has an 
estimated area of over one hundred and forty- 
eight thousand and sixty-three square miles, the 
main island being about fifty-nine per cent, of 
the whole area. The general shape of the group 
is that of an archer's bow, the string bisecting 
the sea of Japan, the arrow-rest being at Tokyo, 
the capital, which is thus seen to be almost at 
the center of the empire. Among its mountains 
there are several which are still active volcanoes. 
The mountain groups greatly reduce the area 
of arable and cultivable land, which is almost 
wholly in the valleys and river plains, so that in 
the whole empire it is a comparatively small per- 
centage. Besides Fujiyama there are four other 
mountains over ten thousand feet high, and sev- 
eral others are but little short of that height ; 
indeed, the islands themselves are simply the 



JAPANESE HISTORY 1 45 

tops of otherwise submerged mountains. The 
country is narrow, and no part is distant from 
the sea more than one hundred and seventy 
miles. Lake Biwa, of which mention has al- 
ready been made, is che largest body of fresh 
water, and has a shore line of seventy-three 
miles. Its area is nearly equal to that of Lake 
Geneva. The population of Japan, not includ- 
ing Formosa, her latest acquisition, is a little 
over forty millions, the average distribution be- 
ing two hundred and seventy-three to the square 
mile. The district of Tokyo, not the city, which 
perhaps has about one million, has a population 
of one million six hundred and twenty-eight 
thousand ; there are seven cities with more than 
one hundred thousand inhabitants, and seven- 
teen with over fifty thousand, and there are forty 
with twenty-five thousand, that number being 
necessary to constitute a city. 



XII 

A SUNDAY IN YOKOHAMA 

IN describing the events of this first Sunday a 
number of facts learned later will be men- 
tioned. The rain of the preceding night gave 
place to a day of bright sunshine. About ten 
o'clock a start was made for the home of Rev. 
John L. Dearing, who had kindly offered to be a 
guide for the day, and the first experience of a 
ride in & jinrikisha, or kuruma, was had. 

The Jinrikisha. — It is impossible not to be, 
and perhaps to appear, queerly self-conscious as 
this first ride is taken. Some one has said that 
he wanted to crow and gurgle and shake his 
hand in a second childhood when he took his 
first ride in this baby carriage. You are drawn 
by a little man with a mushroom hat and black 
or blue tights, if indeed he be not bareheaded 
and barelegged. It has been well suggested 
that if the jinrikisha had pneumatic tires it 
would give the very poetry of motion, and would 
be the ideal vehicle of the world. It is gener- 
ally thought to be a peculiarly Japanese institu- 
tion, but this is not so. It was suggested by 
Rev. Jonathan Goble, who at one time was on 
Commodore Perry's flagship, and who later went 
146 



A SUNDAY IN YOKOHAMA I47 

to Japan as a missionary. Some Japanese au- 
thorities place its introduction in the year 1867, 
and others in 1871. It was an evolution of the 
baby carriage ; it was a growth, and probably 
Mr. Goble designed it with a view to carrying 
his wife about more comfortably during their 
various missionary journeys. It is now found 
in China, Ceylon, India, and other parts of the 
East. 

Its use is rapidly spreading. Great efforts 
were made to introduce it into California and 
the Hawaiian Islands, but no one could be 
found who was willing to run with it. The 
Japanese consuls in America were strongly op- 
posed to having their countrymen degraded by 
running with it in America. Running with it 
is truly a degradation, for it cheapens manhood 
and makes men beasts of burden. It is said 
that men cannot run with it more than five or 
seven years before they are used up. Perhaps 
it gives the rider either the idea of superiority 
or of degradation ; certainly it tends much to 
minister to the feeling of caste ; no sensitive man, 
at the first at least, likes to be drawn by a fellow- 
man who is thus taking the place of an animal. 
But it must be admitted that these little car- 
riages are wonderfully convenient. They will 
come right up to your doorstep. Your "horse," 
instead of being an object of care to you, makes 
you the subject of his care. He looks after you 
at every moment. When it rains he tucks you 
up; when it is sunny he can shade you. He will 
carry you to the steps of your own house or hotel 



14& Around the WokXD 

and will assist you to alight. He is a remark- 
able horse. He will run with you in this careful 
way a long distance and charge you only five 
cents for his trouble. 

Visiting Churches. — Some of these thoughts 
went through my mind as we ran to Mr. Bear- 
ing's pleasant home, which was formerly the 
home of the learned and devoted Dr. Nathan 
Brown. Soon we were in the Japanese Baptist 
church. The streets were muddy and the con- 
gregation wore their getas, wooden clogs, which 
lifted their feet two or three inches from the 
ground. These were piled up at the door, and 
the congregation entered the church walking 
on the clean mats in their stocking feet, or 
with light sandals. Most attractive was the 
congregation dressed in kimonos, bound with 
the obi. which was tied behind in a big bow. 
The girls from Miss Converse's school looked 
as if they had been cut out of a screen or a fan. 
The devotional exercises were conducted by a 
Japanese helper, and all the people joined audi- 
bly in responsive readings, reading with a meas- 
ured cadence, in a peculiar sing-song fashion. 
This I learned is the old Japanese style, a style 
which is beginning to disappear in the New 
Japan of to-day. The sermon was preached by 
the pastor, Rev. A. A. Bennett. Next to Doctor 
Rhees, Mr. Bennett has been the longest in the 
service of the Missionary Union in Japan. He 
was graduated at Brown and at Morgan Park, 
and is a man of scholarly habits and attainments, 



A SUNDAY IN YOKOHAMA 1 49 



of marked consecration of heart, and of equal gen- 
tleness of manner. He is a fine Japanese scholar. 
I listened attentively and feel qualified to say that 
he spoke Japanese without hesitation ; my judg- 
ment does not go beyond that point, but those 
who are capable of judging give him high praise 
as a speaker of Japanese. The service was de- 
vout and tender. This Japanese church in two 
particulars sets an example which our churches 
at home might well follow — many of them knelt 
in prayer, and all responded at the end of the 
prayers with an audible " Amen." This is clearly 
a scriptural usage, and it ought to be universally 
a Baptist usage. It is a reproach upon us that 
it is not. 

We hastened to the Union Church and joined 
in worship in English, the sermon being preached 
by the Rev. Mr. Waddell, a missionary ; then 
to Mr. Bennett's hospitable home, where Mrs. 
Bennett and the seven interesting children were 
met. Mrs. Bennett is the daughter of Rev. B. 
W. Barrows, now of New York and an honored 
member of the Calvary Church. She is in per- 
son, in character, in scholarship, and in mission- 
ary devotion, the true helper of her husband. 
After dinner we walked to the point on the 
Bluff, where is the cemetery, to see the grave of 
Nathan Brown, d. d. Mr. Bennett's taste and 
skill assisted in carrying out Doctor Brown's 
wish in regard to his tombstone. On four boul- 
ders rests a slab of gray granite. A thin coating 
of red granite is made to look like a piece of 
thin fabric thrown over a number of books and 



150 AROUND THE WORLD 

scrolls which are partly seen peeping out from 
beneath it. Except the date, Doctor Brown him- 
self wrote the inscription : " In memory of Na- 
than Brown, American Missionary, born June 
22, 1807, died January 1, 1886. God bless the 
Japanese." There is a carving of a book marked 
"Revelation," and an open hymn book, with one 
cover partly inserted into the " Epistle to the 
Hebrews." Doctor Brown's last work was on 
this new hymn book and the revision of this 
Epistle. He was an accurate scholar, a great 
philologist, and a truly good man. 

Some Fine Institutions. — We next pro- 
ceeded to the Mary L. Colby Home. Beautiful 
for situation is this home, honored is the name 
it bears, and excellent is the work it does. At 
its head is Miss C. A. Converse, who came to 
Yokohama in 1889 to take charge of the girls' 
school, then under the care of Mrs. Brown, now 
Mrs. Ashmore, a school located in the rear of the 
lot on which stands the home which was then 
Mrs. Brown's. Miss Converse was previously a 
teacher in the Vermont Academy, at Saxton's 
River, Vermont. She is a competent teacher, is 
much beloved by the girls under her care, and 
has been blessed in leading many of them to 
Christ. The girls were soon to go away for the 
season, and some of them to heathen homes. 
This was a tender session. Miss Converse read 
our Lord's prayer in John, seventeenth chapter, 
and made appropriate comments thereon. Then 
the writer was asked to address the girls, giving 



A SUNDAY IN YOKOHAMA 151 

them encouragement to be faithful to Christ 
even unto death. His words were interpreted 
by an estimable young Eurasian sister, whose 
father's name is well known all over the East as 
the head of a great business firm. In her early 
years she lived in the home of a gentleman 
widely known in connection with English con- 
sular service. She is well educated and is in all 
respects a very worthy young woman, She is 
now Miss Converse's assistant. Her case will 
suggest later some comments on the problems 
growing out of this large class in the East, and 
on the moral character of many Europeans who 
have in the East temporary homes and wives, 
who are not wives, and children whom many of 
them afterward do not recognize as their chil- 
dren. On the Monday evening following, this 
school was again visited, and while the girls in 
true Japanese fashion sat in a semi-circle on their 
knees or on their heels, the writer again addressed 
them. It not a little disconcerted him to have 
them give a genuine Japanese bow, the forehead 
going to the floor, and this act repeated several 
times. 

At the conclusion of the school service Sun- 
day afternoon we hastened to the grounds and 
buildings of the Yokohama Baptist Theological 
Seminary, which is beautifully situated on the 
Bluff, and which overlooks the city and harbor 
of Yokohama. These comfortable and appro- 
priate buildings were erected in 1894. There 
are two recitation rooms and a chapel on the 
first floor of the recitation hall ; on the second 



152 AROUND THE WORLD 

floor there are recitation rooms and a library. 
The inside of the dormitory is genuinely Japa- 
nese ; it is well that the students should not be 
unfitted while at the seminary to go out and live 
among the people in their own style. The 
course of study is four years, and during this 
time the Bible is carefully studied. The library 
contains about five hundred Japanese books and 
one thousand five hundred English books. 
Friends can do good service by sending good 
books to these shelves. Cannot readers of these 
words help this seminary? Much evangelistic 
work is done by the students. Some of them 
were soldiers in the late war ; and some of them 
won great praise for their bravery, obedience, 
and intelligence. The Rev. John L,. Dearing, a 
graduate of Colby and Newton, is the president 
of the seminary, and his noble wife, the daughter 
of Rev. Henry Hinckley, of Roslindale, Mass., 
teaches Greek there. 

Leaving the seminary, I was soon at the home 
of Mr. and Mrs. Dearing for the Sunday evening 
meal ; then off with Mr. Dearing to visit some 
of his practically outdoor preaching stations. 
Small Japanese nouses are rented, their fronts 
are thrown open, the evangelists stand inside, the 
Christians come in to help in the singing, and 
the crowd gathers outside. In jinrikishas we 
went to two of these stations, which are located 
in very needy parts of the city. Mr. Dearing 
is pushing this work with great skill. He is a 
man as tactful as he is forceful. He deserves 
and receives the praise of all his brethren, We 



A SUNDAY IN YOKOHAMA 1 53 

have, as I shall later point out in detail, excel- 
lent men and women composing our Baptist 
missionary force in Japan. Returning to the 
Bluff and to a hall connected with the work 
of the Reformed Dutch Church, the writer 
preached to a congregation in which were many 
missionaries and their wives. Some of them 
were Methodists who had been attending their 
recent conference. Such an audience listens 
with appreciation and tenderness to a voice 
from the home land which tells of Christ and 
his love as the inspiring motive in missionary 
and other kinds of service. It was a busy and 
a blessed day. 

A Glimpse of Yokohama. — This is now the 
chief commercial port of Japan. In a sense it 
forms the port of Tokyo. It is the chief treaty 
port, Kobe alone of the five others approaching 
anything like the same importance as a foreign 
trading post. Until the latter part of the six- 
teenth century, it was included in the village of 
Ishikawa, but then it was made a separate vil- 
lage and called Yokohama, which means " a 
by-coast," as it was then connected with the 
Yokaido, or main road, only by a by-path at 
Hodogaya. In 1818 it had only eighty-seven 
houses ; in the beginning of 1859 it was only an 
insignificant fishing village in a marsh on the 
opposite side of the bay of Kanagawa. This 
town was the one named by treaty to be opened 
to foreign trade July 1, 1859. But as the water 
was too shallow, the place "across the bay," as 



154 AROUND THE WORLD 

some say Yokohama means, was chosen. Three 
years after the port was opened the foreign com- 
munity numbered only one hundred and twenty- 
six ; but it has been constantly increasing ever 
since. Now it is claimed that the population 
consists of about one hundred thousand natives, 
seventeen thousand Europeans and Americans, 
and two thousand six hundred Chinese. Many 
European nationalities are included in this por- 
tion of this greatly mixed population. 

There are three great divisions of the city : 
the Settlement, the Bluff, and the Native Town. 
In the Settlement is the English Hatoba, the 
principal landing-place for the city. This part 
of the city, in the style of its houses and streets 
and in its general air, is like the British colonial 
towns found in so many parts of the world. In 
the early days the Bluff was used for shooting or 
for pedestrian exercise ; now it is covered by 
the beautiful residences of foreigners. Some of 
the hospitals and consulates are also located here. 
Indeed, natives are not allowed to live here un- 
less they are in the employ of foreigners ; and 
foreigners are not allowed to live elsewhere unless 
they are in the employ of natives. Formerly 
English and French soldiers were posted on 
the Bluff for the protection of their respective 
countrymen ; but the progress of civilization and 
the cultivation of friendly relations with the 
Japanese have made it unnecessary to furnish 
protection of this kind. Many of the residences 
on the Bluff are charmingly located, are superb 
in themselves, and are in the midst of tasteful 



A SUNDAY IN YOKOHAMA 1 55 



gardens. A little beyond the residences are the 
rifle-range and the race-course. 

The native town stretches along the water 
front northward and westward. Ornamental 
trees of flowering plants peculiar to Japan are 
found on both sides of the wide avenue which 
divides the Japanese city from the foreign city. 
In this part of the city are found many of the 
characteristic features of a Japanese city ; here 
are the shops, tea-houses, temples, and theatres. 
The people, for the most part, wear Japanese cos- 
tumes, and it must be said, many of them wear 
very little of that or any other costume except 
that which nature furnishes. Here are the 
streets whose names are well-known, Honcho- 
dori, and Benten-dori, Benten being some sort of 
a goddess ; here are the shops of dealers in silks, 
porcelain, embroidery, fans, jewelry, ivories, 
lacquer-work, metal work, photographs, and 
curios. 

Very marked antiquities are here for sale, all 
manufactured by the ton recently in Yokohama 
to suit the taste of enthusiastic American and 
English buyers. On Main and Walter Streets and 
on the Bund there are many art establishments. 
Here is a street given up to small theatres and 
other shows ; here are acrobats, jugglers, living 
statues, athletes, animal monstrosities, and arch- 
ery galleries. As we went to the evening serv- 
ice we passed two " yose," where the people 
were assembled to hear singing and story-telling. 
Glorious views are had from many points on the 
Bluff. But there is no space left to speak in 



156 AROUND THE WORLD 

detail of hospitals, bridges, shrines, temples, 
gardens, cremation ground, cemeteries, and res- 
ervoirs ; and there is no disposition to speak at 
length of that part of the city which is one form 
of answer to one of the most perplexing of all 
the social problems in municipal, perhaps in 
human life, a part of the city which tells of sin 
and sorrow in their inseparable relations. 

All is wonderfully strange here ; the partial 
nudity of men, women, and children, the extreme 
simplicity of the architecture, the coolies with 
their heavy burdens, the tailless cats, the queer 
lap-dogs, the little children carrying the smaller 
children on their backs, and the women with 
blackened teeth and shaven eyebrows to make 
themselves hideous. We were told that men 
and women bathe promiscuously in the public 
baths. This practice was not seen, as the writer 
did not take a public bath. Our plans are made 
to visit Nikko, Tokyo, and other places in the 
north and the interior. 



XIII 
japan's ancient places 

MENTION has already been made of the 
suggestive contrasts between parts of 
Yokohama. This point is strikingly illustrated 
as the tourist passes from the Bund, the street 
bordering the water-front, to Native Town. 
There is almost nothing in the Bund or in Main 
Street to distinguish them from British or 
American thoroughfares. The dress, habits, 
and language of the people, and the style of the 
houses, are all European ; but when you cross 
the bridge and follow the street which skirts the 
canal, or cross the Nippon-dori, you are in a 
new world. You are among a people whom 
centuries of isolation have very powerfully indi- 
vidualized. 

Striking Contrasts. — The Japanese are in 
many respects a unique race. They are quite 
unlike other Oriental peoples. But in their out- 
of-door manner of living they are like many 
Southern and Eastern races. Here the people in 
the houses are almost as much in sight as if 
they were on the street. The opening of their 
stores is practically the taking out of the front 
of their houses ; then the greater part of the 

i57 



I58 AROUND THE WORLD 

interior is wide open to public inspection. Here 
is a tailor earnestly at work to complete a gar- 
ment for which he will get only a trifle ; here is 
a cooper industriously toiling ; here is a black- 
smith almost without clothing, sitting down 
while he hammers the iron ; and here is a 
woman mending clothes, another washing vege- 
tables, and a third dressing her children, — a very 
simple process, — all exposed to the public gaze. 
Another peculiarity is that places and things 
are known to the guides and coolies by numbers. 
The Grand Hotel is No. 20 ; call that number 
and away goes your jinrikisha man. Every 
dish on the bill of fare in your hotel is numbered, 
and the bill is printed in English. The waiters 
are little Japanese men with black tights and 
different kinds of saudals. They understand 
some English, but in order to avoid mistakes it 
is a decided gain to look over the bill, select 
what you wish, and then give the waiter the 
numbers. He runs off, repeats the numbers, and 
soon returns with what you have ordered. These 
people are our antipodes ; we would, therefore, 
expect them to do things very differently from 
ourselves, and this they certainly do. Indeed, 
they do almost everything in the opposite way 
from our method. They draw a plane toward 
them ; so with a saw, and its teeth are set with 
that fact in mind. They mount their horses on 
their right and not on their left side ; and in 
serving they reverse our method. Other illustra- 
tions might be given of the characteristics of 
this remarkable people. 



japan's ancient places 159 

A Typhoon. — During our first days in Japan 
following the first Sunday the rain fell in tor- 
rents. It seemed almost as if the heavens were 
the mouth of a river, and the wind blew in a 
perfect hurricane also. On Monday night, while 
returning from the generous table and hospita- 
ble home of Mr. H. MacArthur, a cosmopolitan 
Scotchman well known in the business and 
social life of Yokohama, it seemed as if the deluge 
were to be repeated. The next day a typhoon 
(taifun, great wind) burst upon the city, and no 
small amount of damage was done. There were 
a number of landslides in the city and elsewhere 
on the railways, and many trains were derailed 
and a number of lives lost. Junks of many kinds 
were thrown on shore and wrecked, and the 
papers later reported that not fewer than twelve 
thousand houses on different islands had been 
blown down. The air was robbed of much of 
its vitality during the prevalence of the typhoon, 
and one felt like his linen — limp, helpless, 
worthless. 

But Mr. Bennett braved the storm to secure 
needed passports. Those from one's own govern- 
ment are useless except as they assist him in 
getting passports from the Japanese authorities. 
Perhaps in four years they will not be necessary ; 
then the existing treaties will be revised. But 
now for interior trips they are absolutely es- 
sential, as much so as in Russia. There are only 
a few free ports, as Yokohama, Kobe, Osaka, Na- 
gasaki, Nugata, and Hakodate. Treaty regula- 
tions allow foreigners to go and come at pleasure 



160 around The worxd 



within a certain radius of these cities ; but if the 
law were to be strictly enforced a ticket could 
not be bought at a railway station for the inte- 
rior, and not even the humblest innkeeper could 
give lodging to a stranger unless he could show 
his passport. No wise traveler will make any 
effort to evade the strict observance of the law. 
Formerly passports were issued only by the 
foreign office at Tokyo, but now there is a com- 
missioner at Yokohama who furnishes them 
when application is made through the diplomatic 
representative of the applicant's nationality. It 
is expected that the passport will be returned 
to the proper authority when the tourist has no 
further use for it. It is not now, as formerly, neces- 
sary to name in the passport all the places which 
the tourist .wishes to visit ; a general passport 
gives the necessary permission. All these de- 
tails Mr. Bennett kindly arranged and in his 
excellent company our first trip was made. 

It is fitting to say at this point that Japan is 
reasonably well furnished with railways ; just at 
this time, however, they were somewhat inter- 
rupted in their regular trips by the necessity of 
transporting soldiers, because of the exigencies 
of war. The main line runs from Tokyo to 
Kobe, a distance of three hundred and seventy- 
six miles. There are also a number of roads 
under the direction of private companies, so that 
in all there are more than two thousand miles of 
railway, the government owning about one- 
quarter of the whole. With the exception of 
three hundred and fifty miles all the roads are 



JAPAN*S ANCIENT PLACES l6l 

on the main island. The cars are such as one 
meets with in Great Britain and on the conti- 
nent of Europe. 

Kamakura. — Kamakura is about fourteen 
miles from Yokohama and is reachable either by 
jintikishas or by rail ; we went by rail. The 
journey took us along the borders of the bay to 
Kanegawa, the original foreign settlement ; then 
we passed through numerous rice fields, now so 
deep under water, because of the recent rains, as 
to cause great anxiety regarding the harvest. 
Soon we reached the present village. Once 
there was here a large city ; for nearly three 
hundred years it was the political capital of 
eastern Japan. It was the seat of the Minomoto 
family ; and Yoritomo, who established the sho- 
gunate in 1192, made it his capital. 

Kyoto was the seat of the emperor, but only 
the nominal capital. It will be remembered 
that the shogunate was a form of feudal govern- 
ment ; it practically usurped the functions of the 
emperor. He was a sort of a deity who lived in 
seclusion and the shogun was a military leader 
whose office was hereditary. The authority of 
the shogun did not cease until 1868, and the 
transfer of power from the shogun to the emperor 
is one of the most remarkable events in modern 
history. The Yokugawa rule was established 
by the great Ieyasu, and in 1868, for the first 
time in hundreds of years, the emperor became 
emperor in fact as well as in name. In the days 
of its glory the city of Kamakura extended all 



1 62 around the world 

over the plain and into the valleys among the 
surrounding hills. It is believed to have con- 
tained then a population of at least a million ; 
now it is a quiet seaside village with a few tea- 
houses and scattered native dwellings. At this 
point on the seashore the Mongol ambassadors 
of Kublai-Khan, who had been sent to demand 
the submission of Japan, were beheaded. 

Kamakura was repeatedly sacked and burned ; 
and it never fully recovered from the disasters of 
the war of 1455. Finally the city of Odawara 
rose into importance as the seat of the Ho jo 
family and drew away most of the remaining 
inhabitants of Kamakura. At first thought it 
seems strange to us that so great a city could be 
swept away and leave almost no traces of its 
existence ; but we must bear in mind that, like 
all Japanese cities, it was built mostly of kin- 
dling wood and rice paper. There were no deep 
foundations, no durable materials, and a great fire, 
or the flight of years would soon leave no trace 
of a city. How unlike Rome, Athens, Jerusalem, 
and the scores of great cities whose ruins are 
now exciting the interest of all antiquarians. 

The Shinto temple of Hachiman, one of the 
deified heroes of Japan, is an object of much 
interest. This temple is on a plateau reached 
by many steps and dates from the twelfth cen- 
tury. Its position at the end of a long avenue 
of pine trees is very commanding. But the great 
object of interest here is the Dai Butsu, or Great 
Buddha. This statue has a supreme place in 
Japanese ecclesiastical art. It is of bronze, is 



japan's ancient places 163 

forty feet high and ninety-seven feet in circum- 
ference. It seems to stand in the nave of a ca- 
thedral whose walls are grand hills and camphor 
and icho trees. There was an earlier image 
here of wood, which was destroyed in a tempest. 
Then this one was erected, having been begun 
in 1252. Once there was a temple over the 
image, but the sea swept in and destroyed it in 
1494, since which time the great figure has been 
exposed to all the elements. Within it there is 
a sort of chapel into which devotees and tourists 
may go. Its walls are covered with bits of 
papers on which prayers are written. No one 
can tell how so enormous an amount of bronze 
was cast, nor how the image was placed in posi- 
tion. The eyes are said to be of pure gold, and 
the boss on the forehead, weighing thirty pounds, 
is of silver. Snails are crawling up over the 
head, but so profound is Buddha's contemplation 
that he knows not of their presence. 

For at least six hundred years this great image 
has represented profound contemplation. Tidal 
waves have carried away the temple ; earth- 
quakes have shaken his firm base, but there he 
still stands. In front of him are the chests for 
offerings, the shrine for incense, the inseparable 
lotus leaves and the water for ablutions. The 
great thought set forth by this statue is that 
which is the central idea of Buddhism, the 
absolute calm which comes from deep thought 
and the mastery of passion. In this respect this 
Japanese sphinx is worthy of consideration, and 
this is perhaps its only merit as a work of art. 



164 AROUND THE WORLD 

Tourists are sometimes photographed while 
groups of them sit on Buddha's thumb or stand 
near his feet. 

There are several other small temples near, 
with attendant priests ; some museums contain- 
ing relics, and a good hotel called the Kaihin- 
In, or seashore hotel. To the latter place we 
went and had a good dinner. Then a walk 
through the woods to the shore, then we went 
back to Yokohama, not taking in Enoshima, 
attractive though this island is. This was a 
somewhat tiresome, but very profitable trip, and 
Dai Butsu will long live in the memory. 

Northward to Nikko. — Still kindly accom- 
panied by Rev. A. A. Bennett, the journey to 
Nikko was taken. Rev. and Mrs. H. Loomis 
and their children were also of our party. They 
were going to Nikko to live for two months in 
their "own hired house." Mr. Loomis is con- 
nected with the work of the Bible Society in 
Japan. His knowledge of and interest in Chris- 
tian work in the empire are great. 

He was full of gratitude that the military 
authorities had given perfect freedom to dis- 
tribute the Scriptures throughout all the hos- 
pitals and garrisons in Japan. The commander- 
in-chief of the Imperial Guard, Prince Komatsu, 
a cousin of the emperor, and now commander- 
in-chief of the Japanese army, gave his approval 
to the work and expressed his thanks for the 
good which the Bible societies are doing. The 
vice-minister of war, Major General Kodama, sent 



japan's ancient places 165 

to the agent in charge of the field a letter for 
each of the division commanders, instructing 
them to give their personal assistance to the 
work of distributing the Scriptures to the men 
under their command. In this way many thou- 
sands of copies were distributed, and eternity 
alone will tell how much good was done. It is 
not too much to say that in this respect a new 
epoch in Christian work has opened in Japan. 
The reports published by Mr. Loomis show that 
during the quarter ending June 30, 1895, eighty- 
six thousand two hundred and fifty-five Bibles 
were sold by colporters, commission sellers, 
and through other channels. Every Christian 
must rejoice in these grand results, and especially 
in their prophetic significance. Mr. Loomis 
was deeply interested in a Chinaman and a 
Korean, both of whom may soon help to make, 
or at least to give interpretations to, international 
law. Their cases may not yet be discussed in 
the public prints. 

Characteristic views of Japanese villages 
greeted us, and we passed through many miles 
of rice fields. We saw numerous illustrations 
of pears being trained on trellis work as are the 
vines in Italy. But for such supports, the trees 
would be utterly broken down in the great 
typhoons. We had occasional views of the 
Hakone and other ranges of mountains, and 
ever and anon we had glimpses of Fujiyama, 
lifting its snow-capped head proudly over the 
other mountains, either into the clear blue or 
into overhanging clouds. This mountain is the 



1 66 AROUND THE WORLD 

crowning glory of Japan. From the surround- 
ing sea, as well as from many parts of the 
empire, it can be seen in its symmetry and 
majesty. We pass many places of interest, 
change trains, and are finally on the branch 
road to Nikko. Not far distant is the smoking 
summit of Nasunoyama. Then come the Nikko 
mountains ; then on each side of the highway 
the lines of grand old cryptomeria, Japanese 
cedar trees, extending for many miles. The 
town of Nikko consists of one long street of 
typical country Japanese houses, weather-beaten, 
moss-covered, low and open to the street. 

We found a place at the Nikko hotel, and there 
met Rev. Dr. Guido F. Verbeck, who has been 
thirty-six years a missionary in Japan. He is a 
man of whose life and work a volume might 
well be written. He was born in Holland in 
1830, had an interesting career in the United 
States, and now is a leading man in Japan. He 
is master of the Dutch, French, German, Eng- 
lish, Japanese, and other languages. In the 
June number of the "Japan Evangelist" there 
is a fine article on his character and services. 
He lost, by his long residence in Japan, his Hol- 
land citizenship, and he was not a citizen of the 
United States ; Japan, therefore, has given him 
a special passport, and also, because of his serv- 
ices to the government, the " Third class deco- 
ration of the Rising Sun." He is a warm friend 
of Mr. Bennett. Together they gave me much 
valuable information regarding the Japanese 
government, history, and language, and especially 



japan's ancient places 167 

regarding missionary work in the empire. De- 
lightful were the days under the great moun- 
tains and noble trees, and beside the rippling 
waters at Nikko. The long walks and talks 
form pleasant memories. 

There is a Japanese proverb, " Nikko wo minai 
uchi wa } ' Kekko"* to in na" which, being inter- 
preted, means, " Do not say magnificent till you 
have seen Nikko." The town itself is abso- 
lutely nothing, but the great trees, the hills, the 
stream, the bridge, and the temples combine to 
make a picture so superb as almost to justify the 
proverb. Nikko has been a sacred place from 
time immemorial, but its adoption as the burial 
place of the early shoguns of the Yokugawa line 
gave it its chief historic significance and its 
present importance. There are no other tem- 
ples in Japan at all comparable to those of 
Nikko. Nature has beautifully combined with 
art in making the place uniquely picturesque. 
The first Buddhist temple was built in 767 by 
the great saint Shodo Shonin. Of no saint in 
the Roman categories are more miraculous sto- 
ries told. He found the place as the result of a 
dream. Later the name of the hills was changed 
to Nikkosan, " Mountains of the Sun's Bright- 
ness," and then storms ceased and peace reigned. 
There is really a sort of religious air about Nikko ; 
the vicinity of the temple grounds is calm, 
hushed, dreamlike. No wonder that pilgrims, 
scholars, artists, and tourists, love to abide under 
the shadow of these great trees and in the com- 
panionship of these noble hills. 



1 68 AROUND THE WORLD 

The Mi-Hashi, or sacred bridge, is an object 
of special interest. It is of red lacquer, and the 
contrast with the deep green of the cryptomerias 
on the opposite bank is very fine. The bridge 
was built originally in 1638. It is supposed to 
mark the spot where Shodo Shonin, of allitera- 
tive name and traditional and superstitious fame, 
crossed the stream. It was long closed to all 
except the shoguns and pilgrims twice a year. 
Common mortals cross the stream on a bridge 
about one hundred feet below. This bridge per- 
fectly suited our modest ambitions. It was pro- 
posed to General Grant, when on his visit to 
Japan, that the sacred bridge be thrown open to 
him, but he declined the offer with thanks and 
crossed on the lower bridge. 

The tomb of the great Ieyasu crowns the 
temple height. The body was brought here in 
161 7, imperial envoys, priests, daimios, captains, 
and nobles taking part in the ceremony. Ieyasu 
was deified by a decree of the mikado under a 
name meaning " Light of the East, great incar- 
nation of Buddha." Massive granite torii, the 
symbol of Shintoism, mark the entrance to the 
grounds. But time and space fail to tell of the 
magnificent bronze lanterns, the cistern for holy 
water, the bronze candelabrum presented by the 
king of Loo-Choo and that presented by Holland ; 
of the five-storied pagoda, graceful and lofty ; of 
the tree guarded by the stone railing, the very 
tree Ieyasu carried about in a flower-pot when 
he went abroad in his palanquin ; of shrines, of 
bell towers, rich carvings, horrid ogres, superb 



japan's ancient places 169 

decorations almost rivaling those of the Al- 
hambra at Granada ; of the sleeping cat over 
which Japanese priests become mysteriously and 
stupidly enthusiastic ; of the fabulous beasts and 
the impossible men in niches ; of the silly old 
woman, a dancing priestess, who for a few small 
coins would execute gyrations worthy of an 
Egyptian dervish, and of many other things 
quaint and queer. Are they not all to be seen 
under those grand trees, and are they not all 
described at length in elaborate books on Japan? 



XIV 

TO THE "EASTERN CAPITAL " 

WE had to take the train at 7.30 A. m., and 
dashed up in grand style with our jinrik- 
ishas at an hour which, for one tourist at least, 
was early. 

Off for Karuizawa. — The ride was one of 
eleven hours, as we had to change trains often, 
wait long at stations, and make many zig-zags 
in our journey. Along the line of railway women 
were seen to perform most of the hard work ; 
they were digging in the rice fields, ditching, 
driving to the markets, or riding astride their 
little ponies. Women have a hard time in Japan. 
A nation's treatment of its women is the best 
proof of its degree of civilization, and judged by 
this standard Japan has far to travel yet before 
it can come up to American civilization. We 
slowly climbed the mountains, going through 
many tunnels, — by the way, the Japs have adopted 
the word tunnel, — and finally we reached the 
Karuizawa station. 

Awaiting us were Rev. and Mrs. Dearing, Rev. 

and Mrs. G. W. Taft, and Rev. and Mrs. W. J. 

White, Doctor Patterson, of China, and other 

friends. Mrs. Taft is the daughter of Rev. Wil- 

170 



TO THE "EASTERN CAPITAL" 171 

Ham Humpstone, and the sister of Rev. Doctor 
Humpstone, of Brooklyn, N. Y. Mrs. White was 
formerly Miss Eva J. Munson, of Yonkers. She 
was afterward supported in Japan by the Madison 
Avenue Crmrch, New York. Mr. White is now 
most usefully connected with the Tract Society. 
He spoke in Calvary Church a few years ago. 
We were a happy group as we walked toward 
the Japanese vacation home of Mr. and Mrs. Taft, 
where the writer enjoyed his dinner after his 
long ride. This village is far up among the 
mountains. Once it lay on the line of a famous 
pass, over which daimios and shoguns used to go 
with their retainers. When the railway was 
built trade left the village, but now foreigners 
come here for their holiday season, and rent 
houses and bring trade and money to the old 
town. The natives for a time looked upon them 
askance, but now they bring so much profit to 
the place that their presence is endured, if not 
welcomed. 

Doll-like were the Dearing and Taft vacation 
homes. The whole front of the house opens, 
and the screens slide and all the rooms become 
one room. The floors are covered with matting 
so clean that he is not to be pitied who sleeps or 
eats on the floor. Some of the American gen- 
tlemen always took off their shoes before enter- 
ing a room. One feels almost as discourteous to 
be sitting in such a house with boots on as he 
would at home if sitting in a parlor with a hat 
on. The floor is the seat of the Japanese ; why 
should you put your booted feet on it any more 



172 AROUND THE WORLD 

than you would put them on a silk chair at 
home? Verily there are worse customs than 
taking off one's boots before going into marble, 
wooden, and carpeted halls. Politeness is second 
nature to the Japanese ; prince and coolie alike 
possess a spirit of courtesy, and some Americans 
could learn useful lessons at these points from 
these Oriental Yankees. 

There are three kinds of hotels in Japan, the 
European, the half-European and half-Japanese, 
hoterii) and the purely native inn, yadoya, or 
hatagoya. My hotel was of the half and half 
order. My room was separated by a paper screen, 
and not thick paper it would seem, from the ad- 
joining room, occupied by two estimable women 
missionaries from Formosa. They were lovely 
ladies, without doubt, but I should have been 
glad to have had them a little more securely 
separated from their neighbor. Doubtless they 
had similar thoughts. If one sneezed at night 
he felt as if he were shaking and waking the 
whole house. Such thinness of walls and close- 
ness of proximity have their disadvantages. The 
curiosity of the Japanese children when foreign- 
ers are in their village is so great that they wet 
their ringers, apply them to the paper, and then 
place their eye to the aperture. In this case 
there were no children on either side of the 
screens ; still, thicker walls have their advan- 
tages. 

There were many missionary workers at Ka- 
ruizawa ; they were from Korea, Formosa, China, 
and all parts of Japan. Those in my own special 



TO THE "EASTERN CAPITAL" 1 73 

circle I have named. The Anglican bishop of 
Japan, Doctor Bickersteth, was there ; so were 
members of the British and American legations. 
All denominations meet for common worship 
except the Anglicans and the American Episco- 
palians ; they, except in a few cases, attend a 
sefvice of their own in a private house. The 
Anglican bishop signs himself, "Edwin, Japan," 
and this assumption, it is said, is as distasteful to 
the government authorities as it is uufraternal 
toward other religious workers. Bishop Doane, 
of Albany, used to sign himself, " William, Al- 
bany." An Episcopal rector who was something 
of a wag, so the story goes, said to him : " If you 
should remove to Buffalo would you call your- 
self « William, Buffalo ' ? " " Certainly," said the 
bishop. "Ah," said the rector, "I see, you would 
then be Buffalo Bill." The bishop's reply is not 
recorded. Bishop Bickersteth causes many good 
Christian workers to smile as they think of his 
assumption. 

The rain poured in torrents all day Sunday, 
but the writer preached both morning and even- 
ing to this strangely representative audience. It 
was an occasion which he will not readily for- 
get. Happy hours those were at the homes and 
tables of brethren Taft, Dearing, and White. 
How we talked of brethren at home, of news- 
papers, theological seminaries, drifts of thought, 
methods of work, and many, many other things. 
How precious at times home seemed ; how eyes 
became moist and voices a little choked as we 
talked, off there among the hills of Japan, of those 



174 AROUND THE WORLD 

separated from us by so many miles of sea and 
land. Christ was exalted anew in our conversa- 
tion and enthroned afresh in our hearts. That 
was a deeply interesting group that came to the 
train to say "good-bye," and more than once it 
was difficult to say more than a small fraction of 
what the heart felt. Mr. Bennett and the visitor 
hastened on to Tokyo, and soon had a hearty 
welcome from our dear friends, Rev. and Mrs. 
J. C. Brand. 

A Glimpse of Tokyo. — Charming was the 
hospitality of Rev. and Mrs. Brand. Mr. Brand 
was active in religious work in New York when 
Mr. Varley held his great meetings there about 
1872. Mr. Brand was then a Presbyterian, as 
he had been in his native Scotland. At the 
time of Mr. Varley's visit, and partly because of 
some of his expositions of Scripture, Mr. Brand 
saw that it was his duty to be baptized. Rev. 
Robert Cameron, then of New York, baptized 
him. Later he did excellent evangelistic work 
at Niagara Falls and elsewhere, in connection 
with the New York Baptist State Convention. 
He has many kind words to say of Dr. J. B. 
Calvert's relations to him and the work at that 
time. Mrs. Brand was formerly Miss Clara A. 
Sands. She is one of our most experienced and 
successful missionary workers in Japan. Her 
knowledge of the Japanese language, as of many 
other things connected with the work, makes 
her a most valuable helper to her husband in 
this great field. A birthday was celebrated while 



TO THE "EASTERN CAPITAL 1 ' 1 75 

here, and the thoughtful hosts remembered it in 
graceful and delicate ways. 

A beautiful Baptist circle was found in Tokyo. 
Of Mr. and Mrs. Taft I have already spoken. 
There were also Professor E. W. Clement, his 
wife and mother ; Rev. C. H. D. Fisher, wife 
and children ; Miss Anna H. Kidder, Miss M. 
A. Whitman, and Miss A. M. Clagett. The 
last three I visited at their work in the Sarah 
Curtis Home. After dinner at Professor Clem- 
ent's we repaired to Mr. Fisher's home, where a 
goodly company, representing several denomina- 
tions and countries, was gathered, and there the 
writer preached. Hearty were the greetings, 
kindly the hearts, and prolonged the social 
hours at the close of the informal address. 

Professor Clement is preparing to open an 
academy for boys. A fine house has been se- 
cured, and the work promises well. There are 
no more difficult questions in foreign mission 
work than those which belong to the proper 
conduct of schools. It is taxing the wisest 
thought in all denominations. The school ques- 
tion in the States, in Canada, and all over the 
world, is one of the questions of the hour. For 
the brethren and the sisters in Tokyo kindest 
wishes will be cherished and heartiest prayers 
offered. 

Tokyo means "the eastern capital." It is 
comparatively a modern city. When the new 
regime began in 1868 it was called Yedo. In 
the time of the shogunate, certain officials were 
obliged to live in Yedo six months each year, 



176 AROUND THE WORLD 

and in times of war their families were sent there 
as pledges of loyalty to the shogun. When the 
mikado went there from Kyoto he took pos- 
session of the shogun's castle. The city was 
then thrown open to foreigners in 1868, but they 
are restricted in their residence to the district 
known as the tsukiji, or " reclaimed land." 
Tokyo is a city of magnificent distances. It 
covers an area of about one hundred square 
miles, contains two hundred and twenty thou- 
sand houses, such as they are ; three thousand 
two hundred temples, such as they are also ; and, 
including the metropolitan district, has a popu- 
lation of one million six hundred thousand, but 
the city proper probably has fewer than one 
million. 

It is a disappointing city. One grows insuf- 
ferably weary of its interminable rows of low, 
weather-beaten houses, many of them no better 
than the squatters' homes in New York, which 
we call shanties. Men like Percival Lowell and 
Sir Edwin Arnold are, in their painfully extrava- 
gant descriptions of Japan, the enemies of Japan. 
The former's description of the Ginza, a very 
decent street for a Japanese city, is simply ridicu- 
lous. A visit to its shops, which he describes 
as so attractive, makes both him and them lu- 
dicrous. 

Asakusa. — Under the guidance of Mr. Brand 
a visit was made to Asakusa, now a part of 
Tokyo. Here we saw heathenism fully illus- 
trated. Worshipers were coming and going in 



TO THE "EASTERN CAPITAL" 1 77 

a constant stream. They rang a bell to attract 
the attention of the god ; they chewed bits of 
paper and threw them at the wire screen. If 
one out of three went through and hit the hideous 
image the prayer was answered. We saw wor- 
shipers rub their hands on another hideous 
image and then rub them on the part of their 
own body where there was a pain. The image's 
nose was all rubbed away by the process. In 
the yard there was a sacred horse, kept for some 
temple purpose, like the sacred bulls in India. 
It was all very pitiful and very abominable. 
The Japanese are an intelligent people, and yet 
here was idolatry as real and degrading as the 
fetich worship of African savages. Still, one 
may see this idolatry almost paralleled in Russian 
churches ; one may see Romanists in New York 
showing a similar superstition about an alleged 
bone of an alleged saint's arm. Indeed, Bud- 
dhism constantly reminds one of Romanism. 
Did space permit, some discussion of Shinto- 
ism and Buddhism might be profitable. 

We visited Ueno Park, with its shrines, mu- 
seums, and statues ; the pagoda at Shiba Park 
and some of its temples, as well as the observa- 
tion tower at Asakusa. But these temples, sur- 
rounded by bazaars, booths, penny games, cheap 
shows, shops, and photograph galleries, are a 
weariness to the flesh and spirit. There is one 
shrine at which a prayer-wheel can be seen. 
Compared with the groves, mountains, streams, 
and stillness at Nikko, this was all very cheap, 
tawdry, and idolatrous, even in an idolatrous 

M 



178 AROUND THE WORU> 

country. Many of the newer government build- 
ings in Tokyo are really fine, and would be so 
considered even in a European city. The sooner 
the day of the genuine Japanese houses is over 
the better. It would be better to take the risk 
of dying in a modern house overthrown by an 
earthquake than to die of the monotony of these 
rows of shanties. 

Back to Yokohama. — The good-byes were 
said and we were off for Yokohama again, stop- 
ping on the way, however, to visit the tombs of 
the forty-seven Ronins, whose romantic devotion 
fills a large place in the traditional history of 
Japan and even in the daily life of the people. 
It is said that during the late war many soldiers 
went to these graves to say some sort of prayers 
in the hope of catching the spirit of these so- 
called heroes. It seemed somewhat like home 
to get back again to Yokohama. Many letters 
had to be written, various social courtesies re- 
turned, and some preparations made for going to 
Kobe, and so finally for leaving Japan. 

It was a great pleasure to meet Dr. and Mrs. 
Ashmore at the home of Mr. H. Mac Arthur, 
whose wife is Mrs. Ashmore's daughter. Dr. 
Ashmore gives all who meet him not only stir- 
ring and accurate information on many and 
varied subjects, but he gives an almost irresist- 
ible inspiration toward all that is true and 
Christlike. May his noble life long be spared ! 
A cherished purpose was accomplished in meet- 
ing Col. John A. Cockerill, who is in Japan 



TO THE "EASTERN CAPITAL" 1 79 

to represent the New York Herald. His let- 
ters to that paper are very valuable. He has 
become an authority on all matters pertaining to 
the late war and on many other Japanese sub- 
jects. He writes fairly regarding Christian work 
and all forms of missionary labor. He was a 
brave soldier, and he is a true and patriotic 
American as well as a manly man and an able 
writer. 



XV 

ACROSS THREE SEAS 

THE P. and O. boats have been somewhat 
sharply criticised by some tourists, but 
the "Verona," of that line, sailed at a conve- 
nient date, and passage on her was secured for 
Hong Kong, touching at Kobe and Nagasaki. 
She was to sail at 10 A. m. Saturday, August 3, 
but her departure was delayed until Sunday 
morning at daylight. Mr. Bennett most kindly 
saw me on board Saturday evening. His gen- 
tleness, kindness, modesty, and ability are worthy 
of all praise ; the memory of his home and family 
will be indelible. 

Leaving Yokohama. — When we awoke Sun- 
day morning we were steaming along through 
the quiet waters. Sometimes the passage to 
Kobe is very rough, but on this occasion the 
sea was like glass. Bishop Walden, of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church of America, and Mrs. 
and Miss Walden and three other ladies, were on 
board. His discussions of mission work in Japan 
were very instructive. 

At Kobe, which we reached in about thirty 
hours, Dr. Rhees and Rev. R. A. Thomson 
kindly met me with a steam launch. We were 
180 



ACROSS THREE SEAS l8l 

soon on shore and driving in jinrikishas to the 
pleasant home of Dr. Rhees. Here Mrs. Rhees 
and Mrs. Thomson met us, and a little later we 
were at the dinner table chatting of friends at 
home and of recent visits which both the mis- 
sionaries had made to New York. Both Dr. and 
Mrs. Rhees speak of feeling the burden of in- 
creasing years, but he seems to be still vigorous 
and capable of doing much work. The Baptist 
church in Kobe is tasteful and commodious. It 
is an honor to our cause in that city. 

Kobe and Hyogo are practically united in one 
municipality of about one hundred and forty- 
two thousand inhabitants. In front of the town 
is a broad bay, and behind it a low range of 
mountains. There is here both a foreign and a 
native bund, or water front. In the foreign part 
of the town the streets are broad and the resi- 
dences handsome. Hyogo is purely Japanese. 
From this port twenty-five million pounds of tea 
are shipped annually to the United States and 
Canada. Hyogo was not formally opened to 
foreigners until October, 1893. The southern 
exposure of Kobe makes it a favorite residence 
for foreigners in winter. There is considerable 
of interest in Kobe, and in Hyogo the chief sight 
is the Dai Butsu, or bronze statue of Buddha, 
erected in 1891 by a merchant of the city. It is 
inferior to the one at Kamakura, but is much 
superior to those at Tokyo and Kyoto. 

A Visit to Arima. — The steamer would not 
leave for at least thirty hours. What shall be 



1 82 AROUND THE WORXD 

done with this time ? A pass has been secured 
to visit the palace in Kyoto, the old capital. But 
the great fair which has been long in progress is 
closed, the palace is only a larger and finer 
Japanese house, the temples are numerous but far 
inferior to those already seen, and a few more 
rows of Japanese houses are not a very interesting 
sight. Yonder, fourteen miles over the moun- 
tains, is Arima, a vacation resort for missionary 
and other seekers for rest. There Mr. and Mrs. 
Thomson have a vacation home in true Japanese 
style. They have both come to welcome me to 
Kobe. He stands ready to go with me to either 
place. We cannot go to both, and we decide to 
go to Arima. There, amid many beauties of 
nature, are men and women who are temples of 
the Holy Ghost. Temples of Shinto and Buddha 
one may visit until he has in his mind only a 
bewildering sense of their great numbers and 
insignificance. There is no uplift in their influ- 
ence. For the most part they look like toy 
houses for their god. 

Mr. Thomson is a "hustler." Soon we were 
off in jinrikishas, three in number, and two 
coolies drawing each one ;.the distance to be trav- 
eled was six miles ; Mrs. Thomson led the way ; 
the writer was in the middle ; Mr. Thomson 
brought up the rear. The dogs barked, the 
people stared, and the coolies ran. They never 
stopped running for forty minutes, and then they 
were at the end of the stage, a distance of six 
miles. Then came kagos, pronounced in this 
part of Japan almost as if written kangos, with 



ACROSS THREE SEAS 1 83 

two men to each. The kago is a rude palanquin 
made of bamboo poles ; mine was too short for 
my legs, and too low for my head, which had 
constantly to dodge the ridge-pole. When the 
coolies came to lift me they raised me a little 
way and then dropped me all the distance which 
had been reached, and then went on a strike until 
two more coolies were found. Then away we 
went, the four coolies swinging along with the 
hard bamboo poles sinking into their bare shoul- 
ders. 

It is a degradation to men to use them so. 
General Harrison was right when he said that 
cheap prices make cheap men. Human flesh 
here is very cheap. One horse would have car- 
ried me better than four men, but there was no 
horse and men wanted the job. There are only 
three carriages in all Kobe. Poetry of motion ? 
Yes, poetry with uncertain feet. Still the men 
kept step fairly well. Up we climbed, resting 
at tea-houses, walking occasionally and then 
riding in the kagos. What a weird scene it was 
as in one corner of a tea-house we three drank 
tea and ate sandwiches in dim lamp-light, and in 
another corner our eight practically naked coolies 
drank tea and gambled. Then the rain fell in 
torrents, and although the kagos were covered 
with oiled paper the rain came through in spots. 
The summit is reached ; the descent is begun ; 
the coolies run. Shaken up ? You try it if you 
have doubts. Home is reached ; another doll- 
like Japanese house. Very comfortable are these 
beds for tired kago travelers. 



184 AROUND THE WORLD 

Through the thoughtfulness of Mr. and Mrs. 
Thomson, assisted by Miss F. A. Duffield, of 
Doctor Henson's church, Chicago, a genuine sur- 
prise was in store. On coming down to break- 
fast all the Baptist brethren in Arima were found 
awaiting my arrival. They were Revs. W. Wynd 
and J. H. Scott, of Osaka, C. H. Finch, m. d., and 
W. Wellwood, of China, and E. N. Walne and N. 
Maynard, of Japan, who are under the Southern 
Baptist Convention. We had a happy time. 
Then off to the hall, erected largely through the 
influence of Mr. Thomson, where a goodly num- 
ber of missionaries, their wives and children, 
were assembled, and here an address was given 
by the visitor from America. Then dinner at 
Mr. Scott's, and then back over the hills to 
Kobe. 

At Arima there are hot and mineral springs ; a 
railway was in building, and soon it will be a 
still more popular resort. Nearly all the bam- 
boo baskets for the foreign trade are manufac- 
tured there. Its medicinal waters early made it 
a resort for rheumatics, and Hideyoshi gave it 
popularity. The top of the mountain, Rokusan, 
gives a glorious view of mountains, plain, and 
sea. I would not have missed the kago experi- 
ence for much, but I would not repeat it for 
more. Two kago rides will go a long way with 
a moderate man. 

When Mr. and Mrs. Thomson were in New 
York the year before they greatly added to the 
number of their friends, and it is cause for grati- 
tude that Mrs. H. O'Neill is much interested in 



ACROSS THREE SEAS 1 85 

Mrs. Thomson's kindergarten work, and has 
lately given substantial proof of that interest. 
Mr. Thomson worked in Japan twelve years in 
connection with the National Bible Society of 
Scotland, but for about eight years he had been 
under our Missionary Union. His work in Kobe 
was very prosperous. A beautiful chapel — of 
which I have spoken — is built on the main 
street, and there were about two hundred mem- 
bers. He and Doctor Rhees worked together. 
They had about twelve stations around Kobe ; 
the most remote is at Liu Kiu, or Loo Choo. 

On this trip more of the country life of Japan 
was seen than at any time before ; and so more 
poverty and nudity. In this latter respect it 
would be difficult in any country, claiming any 
degree of civilization, to parallel what one sees 
in this vicinity. On the way to the hills women 
of all ages were seen, but one-third clad, men 
but one-thirty-second part clad, and children and 
youth of both sexes and various ages entirely 
unclad. In a few cases boys in their teens were 
on the public highway unconcernedly going 
along in purely Edenic simplicity. A little 
more clothing is certainly needed in all parts of 
Japan, and a great deal more in some parts. 

Through the Inland Sea. — We did not 
leave Kobe until nearly midnight. When the 
passengers came back to the ship at 4 p. m., the 
advertised hour, two Russians, one a prince on 
his way to take command of a warship, and the 
other a consul on the way to his post, were 



1 86 AROUND THE WORLD 

shamefully under the influence of liquor. One 
was glad that they were neither Americans nor 
Britons, although, of course, they might have 
been either. From Kobe to Nagasaki we went 
through the entire length of the Inland Sea ; it 
is a journey of about a day and a half, and it is 
one which will never be forgotten. It certainly 
is one of the most picturesque bodies of water 
on the globe. The sea is studded with islands, 
and most of them are clothed with verdure. 
Many of them are inhabited, and are cultivated 
on their abrupt sides in terraces, like the vine- 
clad hills on the Rhine, or on the shores of Lake 
Geneva. Some of them are conical islands, and 
here and there are bold headlands. The moon 
shone brightly over the smooth sea, and the trip 
was simply enchanting. It reminds one of that 
among the Thousand Islands in the St. Law- 
rence ; it suggests the west coast of Scotland, 
but this is grander ; it suggests the coast of Nor- 
way, but that is wilder, the shores more rocky and 
the heights much greater. This has a beauty all 
its own. We had a Japanese pilot in charge of 
the ship, who knew all the passages among the 
islands, although to our eyes it seemed at times 
as if there could be no outlet. We could have 
sailed for months without tiring over such a sea 
and amid such an environment. 

Nagasaki has one of the finest harbors in the 
world ; it is four miles long and is locked in by 
high hills. It does not suffer when compared 
with the harbor of Sydney or Rio de Janiero for 
picturesqueness, so say those who have seen all 



ACROSS THREE SEAS 187 

three. This city has sixty-two thousand inhab- 
itants, nearly one thousand being foreigners. 
Here Bishop Walden and his party left us, he 
intending to go to Korea. In Nagasaki the 
Portuguese missionaries landed in the sixteenth 
century ; here for two hundred years the Dutch 
merchants held sway. The foreign settlement 
occupies a handsome part of the water-front, and 
beautiful hills rise on every side. In company 
with Doctor Carrell of the Methodist Mission I 
visited their boys' and girls' schools, which are 
picturesquely situated on the terraced hills. A 
class of girls under Miss Russell was reading 
Hamlet as we arrived. The Reformed Dutch 
Church and the Roman Church also have fine 
school and other buildings. The recent typhoon 
proved destructive here, producing landslides 
and injuring buildings. Near Nagasaki is the 
lofty island of Pappenberg, from which, during 
the persecution of Christians in the seventeenth 
century, many were hurled over the steep cliffs 
upon the seawashed rocks below. This rock 
stands like a sentinel guarding the harbor of 
Nagasaki ; it has been well called the Tarpeian 
Rock of the far East. 

Here the ship was coaled after true Japanese 
style. There is a native mine near and coal is 
cheap ; the ships, therefore, take enough here for 
their trip to Hong Kong and return. The coal 
is brought alongside the ship in large flat boats. 
Portholes are opened in the ship, platforms at 
different levels are erected, two lines of Japanese 
boys and girls are formed, the coal is shoveled 



1 88 AROUND THE WORLD 

into baskets which are passed rapidly from one 
to another, and then the empty baskets are sent 
back by the other line, the smaller boys and 
girls forming the second line. Women with 
babes strapped to their backs were among the 
workers. Their labor brings but a few cents for 
six or eight hours of work, but they laughed and 
sang in their very limited clothing and their 
abundant grime as if they were entirely happy. 

OFF for Hong Kong. — We now turned sea- 
ward for Hong Kong. Before leaving home it 
was well known that this trip was taken out of 
season, but those who are not men of leisure 
must travel when their work will suffer least 
because of their absence, or not travel at all. 
They must be willing to endure some discomfort 
and assume a little risk. Thus far there has 
been no risk and not a bit of discomfort. There 
was not a day in Japan nearly so hot as the 
closing days in May and the first three days in 
June before leaving New York. There were 
two sultry days in Japan, but they were not 
worse than we often have in New York. In- 
deed, New Yorkers might come to Japan for a 
cool outing. It should be borne in mind, how- 
ever, that this, it is said, has been an exception- 
ally cool season in Japan. I am glad and grateful 
to say that thus far not one of the fears of anxious 
friends at home has been justified ; neither anx- 
iety, sickness, nor discomfort has been expe- 
rienced. These words are written in the Formosa 
Channel, with Formosa visible on the one side 



ACROSS THREE SEAS 1 89 



and China on the other. The ship at times has 
given us suggestions of possible trouble, but thus 
far four meals each day and a good deal of 
writing some days have been really enjoyed. 
Perhaps later another typhoon may come, but 
with a stanch ship in the open sea there is a 
good chance of safety. The proverb regarding 
the typhoon season says : 

June, too soon, 
July, stand by, 
August, you must, 
September, remember, 
October, all over. 

Well, some cannot stand by. We must go 
forward, trusting Him who holds winds and 
waves under his control. The distance from 
Nagasaki to Hong Kong is nearly eleven hun- 
dred miles, and the voyage took between three 
and four days. We crossed Yong Hai, or the 
Eastern Sea ; then we traversed the strait of 
Formosa ; then came a stretch of nearly three 
hundred miles across the Nan Hai, or Southern 
China Sea. Ning-po, Foo-choo-foo, Amoy, and 
Swatow lie along the coast, but too far away to 
be seen. But here on the eastward of our course 
is Formosa, Japan's recent acquisition, which 
she is paying a high price in blood and treasure 
fully to possess. Formosa contains an area of 
twelve thousand eight hundred and fifty square 
miles, having an area a little larger than that of 
the States of Massachusetts and Connecticut. 
Semi-savage clans people the island, but some 



I90 AROUND 'THE WORU> 

day it will add greatly to Japan's revenues. 
These waters have often been described as the 
graveyard of commerce, but we had a very favor- 
able voyage. 

On the afternoon of August twelfth we drew 
near to the picturesque shores of China. The 
steamer threaded its way through the narrow 
L,y-ee-moon Pass separating the island from the 
mainland, and at about 9 o'clock p. m. it reached 
the roadstead in front of this far-away and fa- 
mous British colonial city, Hong Kong. Its 
lights flashed brilliantly before us and made 
the quiet waters resplendent with their various 
colors. 



XVI 
japan's progress 

NOTWITHSTANDING her handicaps, Ja- 
pan has made wonderful progress, a 
progress which is one of the marvels of our 
century, perhaps of civilization. During the 
past decade there has been a greater propor- 
tional development of the cotton-spinning in- 
dustry than in any other country. In 1888 
there were twenty-four mills in operation and 
one hundred and fourteen thousand spindles ; 
in 1895 she had fifty-eight factories and eight 
hundred and eighty-three thousand spindles, and 
fifty-five of these factories produced over one 
hundred and fifty million pounds of yarn. Elec- 
tric lighting and power plants have been con- 
structed. In 1870 the first railway was opened ; 
in 1895 there were two thousand six hundred and 
eighty-one miles in operation. In 1869 the first 
telegraph line was erected ; in 1891 — the last re- 
port accessible — over four million messages were 
sent through the empire and abroad. Schools 
of all grades were opening ; there were thirty 
thousand common and many technical schools. 
There were seven hundred and sixty-seven news- 
papers and magazines — agricultural, educational, 
scientific, and religious. From 1868 to 1881, 

191 



192 AROUND THE WORLD 

inclusive, the balance of trade against Japan was, 
on an average, five million nine hundred and 
thirteen thousand yen a year ; from 1882 to 1891 
the balance was in favor of Japan, on an average, 
four million one hundred and fifty-thousand 
seven hundred yen a year. This progress has 
only begun. Japan has just begun to feel her 
power. Americans will yet be building great 
factories in Japan, and she will be a rival of the 
United States notwithstanding high duties. 
There is, therefore, the more need that in this 
morning of her new life Christianity should be 
enthroned. In industrial progress and commer- 
cial achievement Japan will soon take her place 
with the great nations of the world, and she will 
in all probability have many interests in com- 
mon with Great Britain and the United States, 
and will be in some form of alliance with them 
in relation to Russia and other great powers. 

Japanese Missions. — This subject interested 
me more than all other topics, and, although it 
has already been mentioned, the subject is 
worthy of a fuller reference. Protestant mis- 
sions are comparatively recent in the empire. 
The great political revolution of 1868 marked 
an intellectual regeneration. The late war dis- 
tracted thought and monopolized effort, and it 
demanded in the field the presence of many of 
the Christian laymen and some of the evange- 
lists. Thus the work in some mission stations 
was much retarded, but there were marked com- 
pensations. Opportunities were given under the 



japan's progress 193 

approval of the government for distributing the 
Bible among the soldiers ; many Japanese Chris- 
tian soldiers had peculiarly excellent chances to 
witness for Christ, and the Christian soldiers as 
a whole proved to be so brave, so obedient, so 
loyal, and so trustworthy, that Christianity won 
as glorious a victory as did Japan. Indeed, in a 
very real sense Christianity was on trial in this 
war, and superbly did it bear the test. I have 
met some men from the Baptist schools who 
were brave soldiers for the empire of Japan and 
the kingdom of God. 

I have talked with Christian workers of many 
denominations, and have tried to classify and 
formulate their replies to pointed questions. 
The number of missionaries in Japan seems to 
be large, but what are the)' among forty millions 
of people? This population is about two-thirds 
that of the United States. What could the hun- 
dreds of missionaries in Japan do if they were 
the only religious teachers in the American re- 
public? All are agreed that the standard of 
Christian living among the native church-mem- 
bers is constantly rising. They are subject to 
great trials. Shall they close their shops on 
Sunday? That is the day of most profitable 
trade. See those closed shops in that row of 
busy stores ! How eloquent is that silent testi- 
mony ! Sunday is a holiday for many govern- 
ment employees, and then they wish to do their 
trading. Examples of superb heroism have been 
given in many cases by Christian merchants. 
All are agreed also that since the war congrega- 



194 AROUND THE WORLD 

tions are increasing, and in many instances the 
children of Christian converts are among wor- 
shipers and converts. Here is a distinct element 
of hope and power. 

The School Question. — All Christian work- 
ers seem to be in about equal perplexity regard- 
ing the proper conduct of schools. There is 
danger that the Christian schools will be secu- 
larized. Their students are at a disadvantage at 
the universities and at the government offices. 
Ought there to be any schools in competition 
with the general system of public instruction in 
an empire like Japan ? Ought we to encourage 
students to continue to take advantage of our 
schools while they are avowedly heathen and 
propose so to remain? In a word, the school 
question is the great modern question in nearly 
all countries. 

A very liberal theology is troubling some 
churches. The Congregational brethren are face 
to face with this trial and with other perplexi- 
ties somewhat related. The great difficulty in 
getting a usable knowledge of the language in 
preaching is common to all the workers. Some 
will never get this knowledge, but they can still 
do fairly good work through interpreters and in 
many personal ways. This great field is white 
unto the harvest. Work to-day will tell mightily 
in the near future. All seem to be agreed that 
we need to do a vast amount of distinctly evan- 
gelistic work, and also that we ought much 
more than in the past to use the press. The 



japan's progress 195 

Japanese are a reading people. These groups of 
jinrikisha men, whom we see on every hand, are 
all reading their Japanese paper while they wait 
for patrons. May the pierced hand of Jesus 
Christ speedily be put on the press of Japan ! 
We need no mediocre men here ; we want our 
brightest, best, and most consecrated. This is 
the " Land of the Rising Sun." 

We have noble Baptist men and women here. 
As a whole they are doing grandly amid many 
difficulties. Seldom are nobler women found 
than are these. They are in culture, character, 
and consecration worthy of their positions and 
responsibilities. It was a joy to meet them. It 
will be a pleasing memory to recall the meetings 
with them in different parts of the empire. I 
turn away from Japan and hasten toward China, 
India, Palestine, and finally to America, but I 
can say in the words which are on Dr. Brown's 
tombstone, "God bless the Japanese." 

Several Japans. — Bishop Hendrix has re- 
cently called attention to the fact that there are 
at least three Japans. There is, first, Official 
Japan. This includes all the public buildings, 
such as customs, postal service, courts, educa- 
tion, police, legislative and executive depart- 
ments of the government, and their officers. All 
these buildings ignore the old Japan and her 
unique type of architecture. The officers of the 
government, whether civil, military, or naval, 
wear foreign dress. They are so uniformed that 
one can readily tell to what branch of service 



I96 AROUND THE WORLD 

they belong. Many of them speak English or 
French, and were educated in foreign countries 
or under foreign teachers brought to Japan. 
Foreign dress, manners, and customs are affected 
by this class of Japanese. Official Japan is 
striving to imitate the characteristics of Euro- 
pean countries in things both great and small. 

Official Japan is ambitious for the future of 
the country and for its good name among Eu- 
ropeans. It is striving to compel the peasantry 
to wear fuller clothing. It has also largely 
abolished the custom of promiscuous bathing on 
the part of the sexes, and it has controlled many 
of the barbarous tendencies of the earlier day. 
It has done much also to remove the offensive 
clauses of treaties and to bring Japan into touch 
with the great nations of Europe. Official Japan 
is courteous to foreigners. It is turning its back 
toward the early conservatism and its face to- 
ward the hopeful progress characteristic of the 
hour. It is making a careful study of commerce, 
war, education, and diplomacy. It has not 
adopted the Christian faith, but it has largely 
broken with the old heathen superstitions. It 
is proud, hopeful, brave, and sometimes boast- 
ful. It has great possibilities and it is not free 
from certain dangers. 

The same writer calls attention also to Old 
Japan. This Japan is as devoted as ever to its 
idolatries and ancestral shrines. It is divided 
between Shintoism and Buddhism. It is indus- 
trious and patriotic, but devoted to old customs 
and habits. It still bows before its shrines, burns 



japan's progress 197 

incense, makes its " dead boats," and still seeks 
to propitiate the fox, as did past generations. 
Its worshipers are found not only in rural dis- 
tricts but in the large cities. Costly shrines are 
found in the homes and business places of 
wealthy merchants, even in the treaty ports. 
Heathenism is found in Japan still, as truly de- 
graded and besotted as can be seen in southern 
India. The lavish expenditure once made upon 
the temples has now in great part ceased, but 
voluntary contributions are still made by the 
common people for the support of shrines, tem- 
ples, and altars. It is true that not many new 
temples are in building, but it is also true that 
almost all parts of the country are well supplied 
with temples already built. 

One imposing Buddhist temple has been built 
in Kyoto within the past few years. Bishop 
Hendrix calls attention to the fact that its mass- 
ive timbers were lifted to their places by means 
of hair ropes, for the manufacture of which 
three hundred thousand Japanese women con- 
sented to have their tresses shorn. These ropes 
are still shown as evidences of loyalty to the 
worship of Buddha. Old Japan still clings to 
the former things and rejects the progress of 
Official Japan, even in its most brilliant achieve- 
ments. The mass of the people belong to Old 
Japan. They are not reconciled to the presence 
of foreigners, and will have nothing to do with 
their dress, food, customs, or religion. Chris- 
tian England and America send improved cotton 
mills and other forms of machinery, but the 



198 AROUND THE WORLD 

Japanese who work in these mills still retain 
their idolatry even while they take advantage of 
the inventions of Christianity. 

But there is also a Christian Japan, as the 
same writer has well pointed out. This is as yet 
but a small part of the empire, but it has already 
greatly influenced Official Japan. There are 
about forty thousand members of the Christian 
Japanese churches. They have more than four 
hundred churches, and many of them are self- 
supporting. They have about thirty thousand 
Sunday-school scholars. The late war did much 
to increase the social and official influence of 
Japanese Christians. It had often been doubted 
whether in the case of a war Japanese Christians 
would be brave and loyal, as were the heathen 
Japanese. Once it was feared that Christianity 
would denationalize the Japanese who accepted 
its doctrines. Many Japanese believed that those 
of their number who had embraced Christianity 
would be little better than foreigners in a 
war with the Chinese or any other nation, 
but it was found that there were no braver sol- 
diers than the Christian Japanese. It was not 
uncommon to hear the Japanese shout as they 
recognized the bravery of the Christians, " Long 
live Christians ! " Christianity has certainly 
gained a firm foothold in Japan. Its progress, 
however, will be necessarily slow, but access can 
now be had by Christian teachers to soldiers, 
sailors, policemen, and almost all classes of the 
Japanese. The chief of police in Yokohama 
has promised that every man under his control 



japan's progress 199 



shall receive a copy of the Bible. He has also 
promised to distribute two thousand copies of 
the Scriptures among the fallen women under 
his control. Admirals, field marshals, and police 
officers welcome Christian chaplains, and the 
chief of staff of the Imperial Guards expresses 
pleasure at the circulation of the Bible among 
all classes of people. 

Bishop Hendrix well remarks that " Sir Ed- 
win Arnold saw only one of these Japans." The 
new Japan is struggling toward a higher sense 
of commercial honor, and is striving to make 
this country worthy of the confidence of all 
Christian nations. Japan needs a permanent 
Christian civilization. Japan stands on tiptoe 
with the light of Christianity falling on its up- 
turned face. China is hypnotized by gazing on 
its own dead past. Japan is inspired by gazing 
into its hopeful and brilliant future. 

PASSPORTS. — As already mentioned, passports 
are necessary for traveling in Japan outside of 
the treaty ports. Upon presentation of my 
American passport I was furnished with an an- 
nexed passport, giving permission to travel in 
the interior. This passport, it is expected, will 
be returned to the consul general of the United 
States of America at its expiration. The bearer 
of the passport is expressly enjoined to observe 
in every particular the directions of the Japanese 
government, printed in Japanese characters on 
the back of the passport, and also translated into 
English. It is expressly stated that the bearer 



200 AROUND THE WORLD 

of the passport is " required to conduct himself 
in an orderly and conciliatory manner toward 
the Japanese authorities and people." The pass- 
port was granted for one year. I did not return 
my passport, as I wished to retain it as a curious 
souvenir of my Japanese tour. I suppose I could 
not procure another passport should I revisit 
Japan, not having returned this one ; but as the 
requirement of a passport probably will be modi- 
fied before I revisit that country, I did not feel 
greatly concerned regarding the return of this 
passport. 

Among the local regulations on the passports 
forbidding certain acts are the following, which 
are strictly forbidden, " Attending a fire on 
horseback." If there is anything which I wanted 
to do in Japan it was to attend a fire on horse- 
back. Of this privilege I never have availed 
myself at home, and of course I wanted to enjoy 
it in Japan. Another prohibition is " scribbling 
on temples, shrines, or walls." It would be well 
if this prohibition could be observed in every 
country. There are ten of these local regula- 
tions, the last one being, " lighting fires in woods, 
or on hills, or moors." My Turkish as well as 
my American passport is a decided curiosity. 
Both are so covered with local endorsements as 
to be worthy of preservation as unique souvenirs 
of my journey. 

Some Japanese Words. — Through the cour- 
tesy of Rev. A. A. Bennett, of Yokohama, I am 
able to present to readers some Japanese com- 



japan's progress 201 

pounds of ska, meaning vehicle or wheel : Ki- 
sha (pxjoki-sha), meaning steam-car ; jin-riki-sha, 
meaning man-power (/z«, man, riki, power, sha y 
wheel or carriage) ; ba-sha, meaning any car- 
riage drawn by a horse (ba) ; gyu-sha, meaning 
ox-cart {gyu, ox) ; siri-sha, meaning water-wheel 
(szn\ water) ; ji-ten-sha, meaning self-revolving 
wheel (ji-ten, self-revolving), as velocipede, bi- 
cycle, etc. ; ji-db-sha, meaning self-working car 
(do, working, as an inclined plane ; hb-sha, 
meaning gun-carriage (//<?, gun), a mounted can- 
non ; denki-sha, meaning electric-car (denki, 
electric. 



XVII 

RELIGIONS AND MORALS 

THE Ainos are fetich-worshipers. The wor- 
ship of the reproductive powers of nature 
and of ancestors has a large place in their idola- 
trous system. These beliefs also underlie both 
Shintoism and Buddhism. 

Native Religion. — Shintoism was the ear- 
lier worship ; it is now the State religion. 
Buddhism was imported from India by way of 
China and Korea. There are nearly two hun- 
dred thousand Shinto shrines and temples and 
wayside chapels of all grades. The Buddhist 
temples are more marked by images and idola- 
trous observances. Buddhism was introduced 
in 552 A. d., from Korea, with its elaborate sys- 
tem of ethics, ritual, dogma, and scriptures. It 
soon threw the bald system of Shinto into the 
shade. 

Kobo, a profound scholar, in the beginning of 
the ninth century devised a scheme by which 
the older religion was swallowed up by the 
newer faith. He gave all the Shinto deities 
Buddhist names, and he appointed Buddhist 
liturgies for Shinto feasts and festivals. This 
new system turned the emperors into cloistered 



RKLIGIONS AND MORALS 203 



monks and the empresses into nuns. A blow 
was thus struck at Shintoism. The Buddhists 
were bridge-builders, road-makers, scholars, and 
benefactors ; they were the exponents of civili- 
zation and the fathers of literature. From the 
sixth to the twelfth century is the missionary 
era of Japanese Buddhism. But since the revo- 
lution of 1868 there has been a revival of Shin- 
toism, and it is the State religion still. Many, 
however, do not know what " ism " they profess. 
They are indifferent to many of the earlier " isms," 
and are in danger of falling into practical athe- 
ism if they do not receive the gospel of Christ. 

There has been an improvement in the morals 
of the people since the political revolution of 
1868 and the introduction of Christianity. But 
there is still great room for improvement. There 
is a class known as the Eta, who are considered 
outcasts and altogether inhuman. In their treat- 
ment of this class the Japanese act contrary to 
the principles of humanity. 

In 1888 there was over one divorce to every 
three marriages. So long as this state of things 
exists true progress must be greatly impeded. 
In the recent volume by Doctor Griffis on 
" Townsend Harris, First American Envoy to 
Japan," Mr. Harris says, speaking of the Japa- 
nese with what, we hope, is some unconscious 
exaggeration : " They are the greatest liars on 
earth. The mendacity of these men passes all 
human belief. They never hesitate at uttering 
a falsehood, even where the truth would serve 
the same purpose." Mr. Harris was appointed 



204 AROUND THK WORLD 

minister to Japan in 1859, but on account of ill- 
health resigned in 1861. He was a very able, 
and in many ways a typical, American. He did 
not hesitate sternly to rebuke the Japanese en- 
voys because of their deceptions. He died in 
New York, February 25, 1878. 

Lack of Morality. — The most intelligent 
and patriotic men in Japan fully realize that 
moral soundness is necessary to all true and 
permanent progress. Hence efforts have been 
made to remove many of the moral eyesores of 
the earlier heathen days. Visitors to Japan to- 
day see much which shocks their sense of mod- 
esty, but they, and even the new generation of 
Japanese, can scarcely believe in the existence 
of the sights so familiar to the first missionaries 
in that land. The grossness of the immorality 
of that day is now almost incredible. The most 
attractive portions of great cities were those 
given up to the worst forms of vice. Girls were, 
and to some degree still are, sold as slaves. Evil 
was publicly exhibited ; the most shameful ex- 
hibitions were utterly shameless. The most in- 
decent shrines were numerous along the roads 
in many provinces ; the most vulgar representa- 
tions were wrought into candy, porcelain, and 
faience. At temple festivals the grossest em- 
blems were publicly carried in parades. The 
most abominable performances were observed as 
a part of idolatrous processions. 

It is authoritatively affirmed that much of the 
popular literature of the time was utterly unfit 



RELIGIONS AND MORAI^S 205 

for publication. The exposures going to and 
returning from the public baths are almost in- 
credible, and they are still occasionally seen. It 
is quite true that we ought not to judge them 
by our standards, as many of our ideas of pro- 
priety depend upon training and conventional- 
ism, but judged by any standard, these exposures 
were as objectionable as they are incredible. 
Perhaps the admittedly common practice of 
lying, often so needless, was due in part to the 
despotism and espionage of the feudal system, 
now happily passed away. 

The disregard for human life, the unquaran- 
tined small-pox patients roaming freely about, 
the miserable class called the Eta often cut down 
by the swords of the Samurai so that dead men 
often lay in the public highways, the horribly 
diseased who lay in wayside huts, the many 
victims of nameless diseases, these all were 
characteristic of the old days of heathenism in 
Japan. To help a man who was an Eta or a 
Haimin, even if he were drowning, was the ex- 
ception rather than the rule in the pre-Christian 
days. The ancient disqualifications on other 
religions than Buddhism were removed in 1871. 
Then idolatry, immorality, and fearful diseases 
went hand in hand. Even children were famil- 
iar with the saddest sides of human life and sin. 
The distinguished Doctor Verbeck says that 
probably immorality is a more formidable ob- 
stacle to the progress of missions than idolatry 
considered in itself. 

The fact is, — and the sooner all recognize it 



206 AROUND THE WORED 

the better, — idolatry in Japan, China, India, and 
throughout the world, is organized impurity. 
There can be no genuine and permanent growth 
for Japan until Christianity is practically the 
religion of the country. Heathenism is vile, 
gross, brutal, vulgar, cruel, and altogether abom- 
inable. It may be dressed up for exhibition at 
the Parliament of Religions in Chicago, but at 
its home it is unfit for exhibition, and in many 
of its features is unfit for discussion. Japan has 
greatly improved even by adopting some of the 
outward signs of Christian civilization. But 
unfortunately Japan is not yet Christianized ; it 
is not even evangelized. Its progress has been 
chiefly on the material side of civilization. It 
has adopted Western ideas of commerce and war, 
but it has not yet discarded its false gods. A 
heathenism as gross as that of Hinduism in 
India is still prevalent. The deadly microbes of 
heathen belief have not yet been destroyed, and 
they are poisoning the vitals of the nation. 

Work of Protestant Missionaries. — By 
the Townsend Harris treaty, July 29, 1858, cer- 
tain ports were opened July 4, 1859. Imme- 
diately the Reformed, Episcopal, and Pres- 
byterian Churches availed themselves of this 
opportunity. J. C. Hepburn, m. d., afterward 
the famous lexicographer, who represented the 
Presbyterian Church, arrived October 18 at 
Kanagawa, near Yokohama. Dr. Verbeck, re- 
presenting the Reformed Church, arrived Novem- 
ber 7, at Nagasaki. Three missions were estab- 



RELIGIONS AND MORALS 207 



lished before January 1, i860. Rev. John Lig- 
gins and Rev. G. M. Williams represented the 
Episcopal Church. April 1, i860, Rev. Jon. 
Goble and wife, and the Japanese Sentaro, the 
former a marine and the latter a waif in Com- 
modore Perry's squadron, were sent out by the 
American Baptist Free Mission Society. For 
ten years, with but few accessions, these four 
American missions occupied the field. Some of 
the workers on account of ill-health were obliged 
to abandon their posts. Dr. Hepburn, in 1862, 
settled at Yokohama doing dispensary and lexi- 
cographic work. Rev. David Thompson joined 
the missionaries in 1863, and has long been 
active as a missionary in Tokyo. In 1869 Dr. 
Verbeck went to Tokyo to organize a national 
scheme of education and to be at the head of 
the Imperial University. In 1872 an embassy 
was organized to go around the world to study 
Western civilization, and half its members had 
been Dr. Verbeck's pupils. Eternity only can 
show the full results of Dr. Verbeck's great 
work. 

In August, 1869, Miss Mary Kidder, now Mrs. 
E. R. Miller, arrived in Yokohama. She was 
the first unmarried lady missionary going directly 
to Japan from America. In 1869 the Church of 
England organized work at Nagasaki ; and in 
1870 the American Board began a work in Kobe. 
1872 was the year in which the harvest began. 
On March 10 of that year, the first Christian 
church was organized at Yokohama. Rev. 
Messrs. J. H. Ballagh, O. H. Gulick, J. B. Davis, 



208 AROUND THE WORLD 

M. Iv. Gordon, and Dr. Berry and their wives 
were leaders in the work. In October, 1872, the 
Woman's Union Missionary Society established 
a home in Yokohama. About a year after the 
organization of the first Christian church, the 
government abolished the lunar and adopted the 
solar calendar of Christendom. 

Then following the removal of the anti-Chris- 
tian edicts, the return of the embassy from its 
tour around the world, the organization of a 
New Testament Translation Committee, and the 
arrival of a large force of missionaries. Until 
the spring of 1872 only ten natives had been bap- 
tized. The first church organized was the direct 
outgrowth of the earnest observance of the week 
of prayer, the meetings of which had been pro- 
longed to the last of February. The book of 
the Acts had been daily studied, and the prayers 
of the Japanese for Japan were so earnest as to 
stir the hearts of all the missionaries. 

Difficulties of the Missionaries. — The 
first missionaries were objects of intense suspi- 
cion. All Japanese who communicated with 
them were also suspected. The first teachers of 
the missionaries were practically official spies ; 
and the missionaries were supposed to have come 
to corrupt the morals and to decrease the loyalty 
of the people. The most abominable stories 
were told against the character and purpose 
of the missionaries. They were charged with 
being sorcerers ; even in the treaty ports they 
were closely confined to the treaty limits, and 



RELIGIONS AND MORALS 209 

were constantly in danger of incendiarism and 
assassination. Many of their opposers had 
belonged to the Samurai class, but had degen- 
erated into infuriated ruffians. Some of the 
legations were even attacked. 

These opponents of all foreigners claimed to 
be acting from patriotic motives. They rev- 
erenced the mikado. They desired to embroil 
the tycoon, by whom treaties were made with 
foreigners ; and thus they would assist the 
mikado in his desire to secure a return of his 
ancient supremacy. Their cry was, " Expel the 
foreigner," but their real purpose was to hasten 
the revolution which came in 1868, and so has- 
ten the larger liberty which now is enjoyed. 
Neither missionaries nor diplomats could see 
then, as we do now, the ultimate purpose of those 
who then opposed them. But the missionaries 
toiled on. Soon they dispelled suspicion, con- 
ciliated the hatred of their foes, removed the 
ignorance of all, and so manifested the spirit of 
Christ as to win the respect of all classes. 

Soon the temper of the people was changed, 
like the climate from January to June. Mr. 
Liggins, of the Episcopal Church, Dr. Nathan 
Brown, of the Baptist, and Dr. Hepburn, of the 
Presbyterian Church, had done good work in 
making translations. Educated Japanese could 
read the Bible in the Chinese version. The 
Bible was translated into Japanese in 1887 after 
many trials and great labors. Mrs. Hepburn, 
Miss Kidder and Mr. and Mrs. Carrothers, and 
Mrs. Pruyn did excellent work in teaching the 

o 



210 AROUND THE WORLD 

young ; and Dr. Hepburn was disarming preju- 
dice by his skill in medicine as well as his ear- 
nestness in Christianity. All these influences 
helped also to keep reasonably pure the social 
life of the European Christians, who though 
professing Christianity were in danger of the 
evils arising from constant association with 
heathenism. The earlier missionaries worked 
long in a darkness illuminated only by the power 
of God and the light from the cross. 

Up to 1890. — During the eighteen years 
from 1872 to 1890 wonderful progress was made. 
The Doshisha College was established in Ky- 
oto by the celebrated Neesima, in 1875, and 
fifteen young men were graduated from the 
theological department in 1879. ^ n ^^9 the 
first bishop of the English Church, Dr. Poole, 
was appointed ; the present bishop of that church 
is Dr. Bickersteth, who lives in Tokyo. Since 
1877 the churches of the Presbyterian polity 
have been united in one general body. There 
now are more than seventy churches under the 
Presbyterian polity, and of these three are self- 
supporting. In no country has woman's work 
for women been more general and helpful. The 
Baptists began work under J. Goble, in i860 ; 
eleven years later Dr. Nathan Brown began his 
great work. His version of the entire New Tes- 
tament was published in 1880. The Baptists in 
1895 had about forty preaching stations, includ- 
ing places where missionaries visit, but do not 
reside. All our Baptist workers strive to develop 



RELIGIONS AND MORALS 211 

the idea of self-support. The First Baptist 
Church in Yokohama was organized March 2, 
1873, and the first in Tokyo, May 14, 1876. 

The Disciples of Christ began their work in 
1883 ; in 1895 they had about ten stations. The 
Christian Church of America is also in the field. 
The Congregationalists have many earnest and 
successful workers. They man two churches in 
ten cities and have preached at nearly one hun- 
dred and seventy outstations. They began in 
1869 at Kobe with Rev. and Mrs. C. D. Greene, 
and have spread out with great rapidity. They 
have not been without their troubles, but it is 
hoped that divisions may cease and harmony 
prevail. They have had some remarkable native 
workers, and also a number of journalists and 
other men of scholarship and literary influ- 
ence. Rev. W. H. Noyes and wife labored 
under the auspices of the Berkeley Temple, 
Boston. But few independent native churches 
have yet been formed. 

There are five groups of Methodist missions, 
the largest of which is the American Methodist 
Episcopal Church, which began work in 1872, 
under the leadership of Rev. R. S. Maclay, a 
veteran from Foochow, China. They have 
reached both extremes of the empire, and have 
many excellent lay workers and Bible women. 
The Canada Methodist Episcopal Church and 
other branches of Methodism have several sta- 
tions and energetic workers. 

The Society of Friends, the Christian Alliance, 
the American Unitarians, formerly represented 



2 12 Around the world 



by Rev. Arthur Knapp, in Tokyo, the American 
Universalists, represented by Rev. George Perrin 
and others who labor in Tokyo, the Bible so- 
cieties, tract societies — all have their repre- 
sentatives in this hopeful empire. Great unity 
marks the labors of all these bodies of Christian 
workers. The American and Scotch Presby- 
terians work together ; so do also American and 
English Episcopalians. 

The majority in all the churches are young men. 
Time will equalize the proportion of the sexes 
and ages. Great practical questions must soon 
be discussed — the Sunday question, temperance, 
morals, etc. On Sunday the government ceases 
its labors, but the day is not observed as a holy 
day. Efforts are being made to purify literature 
of its cruel, revengeful, and licentious elements ; 
and in all these endeavors several flourishing 
Young Men's Christian Associations are render- 
ing excellent service. 



XVIII 

PECULIARITIES OF JAPAN 

MANY things were witnessed and carefully 
considered in the visit to Japan which 
there is not space to describe, but a few general 
observations seem to be in place as Japan is now 
left behind. 

Cheap Living. — Living in Japan is cheap. 
Expenses in any city or country are largely 
what one chooses to make them, but there are 
some expenses common to all persons which will 
serve to illustrate the scale of prices. Here is a 
laundry bill of one dozen pieces, of which six 
are shirts of various styles. The work was done 
promptly and excellently. What was the amount 
of the bill ? The figures are given in gold or 
American money ; the bill reached the enormous 
sum of fifteen cents. Surely there is no excuse 
for not having frequent changes of linen while 
traveling in Japan. In Yokohama the foreign 
hotels are like leading hotels in Europe. At 
the Grand the charge is in gold about two dol- 
lars and fifty cents, at the Club about two dollars, 
and at the Clarendon one dollar and twenty-five 
cents to one dollar and fifty cents per day, and 
everything included in each case. I tried the 

213 



214 AROUND THE WORLD 

last two named and I would prefer the Clarendon, 
even if the prices were the same. Here a room 
was occupied which was twenty by thirty feet, 
with two large windows opening on a veranda, 
the meals were excellent and the service was 
good. It is a private hotel, kept by Mrs. Stani- 
land, a worthy Englishwoman. 

At Nikko, up among the grand mountains 
and the glorious trees and near the terraced hills 
crowned by temples, prices in the hotels are 
from one dollar and fifty cents to two dollars 
and fifty cents in gold per day. Here, as in most 
of the leading hotels, the waiters are little 
Japanese men in black tights and some style 
of sandal, but in some hotels the waiters are 
young women. They are quick, intelligent, and 
willing. Europeans — which term includes all 
who are not natives — expect to pay more than 
natives at these hotels. Perhaps they ought to 
pay more ; they demand a greater variety of 
food and vastly more attention. If one were 
willing to put up with what he gets at a genu- 
ine Japanese country hotel, sleeping on the floor 
with a wooden pillow, making his toilet at a 
pump or using a common basin, and eating 
Japanese food, he could live for a mere trifle. 

Mosquitoes and fleas are among the trials of 
Japan, and especially of Japanese hotels ; but a 
flea bag, a sheet so stitched as to cover the body 
and the arms and to tie with a drawing string 
around the neck, will lessen the discomfort of 
the one pest, and a properly adjusted mosquito 
net over the bed will entirely prevent annoy- 



PECULIARITIES OF JAPAN 215 

ance from the other pest. The mosquitoes were 
vastly worse in Honolulu ; often they are worse 
in New Jersey. From neither of these pests — 
and to both I am peculiarly sensitive — was there 
really any discomfort worth mentioning. Had 
there been a sojourn in a genuine native hotel 
a different report probably would have to be 
made. Our missionaries often suffer seriously 
from the wicked flea, which flees indeed, but 
bites nevertheless. Many missionaries carry 
some sort of flea bag with them, and also various 
powders and lotions, while on their journeys 
through country districts. 

Speaking of low prices, I have learned that a 
man and his wife can be secured as servants, he 
deciding on the menu, making the purchases 
and cooking the food, and she being waitress 
and maid of all work, and they " finding " them- 
selves, for the enormous sum per month for both 
of six to seven dollars in gold. Think of that, 
ye lordly Hibernians, with your brogue and bro- 
gans, who condescend to reign in our humble 
American homes. Truly, the United States, 
whatever the cause may be, is the paradise of 
workingmen and women. 

Think of buying an outfit, consisting of bath- 
room kimono, socks with the separate great toe, 
a sash, or obi, and sandals, for one dollar and 
twenty-five cents. A Japanese young man or 
woman of the working class could dress well for 
fifty cents ; some of them probably dress for 
twenty-five cents. But going a few steps higher, 
a good outfit can certainly be secured for two 



2l6 AROUND THE WORLD 

dollars, or even somewhat less. The daily news- 
papers printed in Bnglish are a marked excep- 
tion to these low prices. The " Japan Mail " is 
warmly pro- Japanese, and the " Japan Gazette " 
is vigorously anti-Japanese. Both are sprightly 
and ambitious. They contain, however, but 
little reading matter, and each costs about four- 
teen cents. A morning newspaper at this price 
is a veritable luxury. Of course the circulation 
of these papers is small, but if the prices were 
smaller the circulation would be much larger. 

Europeans have to pay at nearly all the shops 
much higher prices than natives. Time is a 
small object in the Orient. A shopkeeper will 
chaffer long over a few cents, and he will ask 
often twice as much as he finally will take. It 
is humiliating to make purchases after this 
fashion, but if you do not dicker you will be 
cheated. Some shops now have adopted the 
one price system, but in any case when you get 
the lowest price most things are cheap. L-abor 
is cheap ; humanity is cheap. Men, women, 
and children work in factories for a song. Chris- 
tianity gives dignity to labor, nobility to man- 
hood, honor to womanhood, and protection to 
childhood. All these things Japan much needs. 

Diminutive People. — The Japanese, as is 
well known, are very small. It seems almost 
certain that the habit of sitting on their heels 
for centuries has shortened their legs. Their 
shortness is in their legs rather than in their 
bodies. But although the army, officials gen- 



PECULIARITIES OF JAPAN 217 

erally, and many others have adopted European 
dress and many other European customs, it is 
still difficult for the people to learn to sit on 
chairs or seats of any kind unless they sit in 
some way on their feet. In European homes 
they will slip off the chairs, with the apology in 
winter that their feet and limbs are cold and 
some other apology in summer, and drop on 
their heels on the floor. It is interesting to see 
a man and his wife enter a railway car. They 
slip off their sandals, put them partly under the 
seat, jump up on the seat, gracefully adjust their 
kimonos and squat on the seat facing each other. 
Soon both will have their little pipes filled with 
tobacco, the pipe holding about enough tobacco 
for half a dozen puffs. The puffs are taken, the 
pipes refilled, and the process repeated a few 
times, but they never seem to smoke much. 
One wonders why the pipe is not made bigger 
if the smoker must have more than one pipe- 
ful. 

Probably the habit, and especially the method, 
of carrying the children on the backs of their 
mothers and of their still little brothers and sis- 
ters, has something to do with the size and form 
of their bodies. This practice may account for 
crooked legs and curved forms. The American 
Indians show greater wisdom in their method of 
carrying their children. The Japanese babies, 
while carried, have no proper support for back, 
head or legs. Often they are sound asleep while 
carried, and their heads fall backward or side- 
wise while the scorching sun falls on their 



2l8 AROUND -THE WORLD 

unprotected heads and faces. It is often a won- 
der that their brains are not roasted. Many of 
the little mothers are mere children. One such 
rowed me to a steamer the other day. Her babe 
was asleep in the little cabin of the boat ; the 
mother was herself only a child. The babe 
awoke ; the mother stopped rowing, attended to 
its needs in various ways, then strapped it on 
her back and good-naturedly resumed her oar, 
the babe in the meantime looking wonderingly 
at the stranger. Japan must give additional 
honor to women if the nation is to have a high 
place among the great nations of the earth. No 
people can be great unless they have great and 
good mothers. Japan at this time of her mar- 
velous history cannot afford to dwarf her people, 
to dishonor her women, and so her men. 

Practically Slaves. — There is a class of 
women who are practically slaves. This gen- 
eral class will suggest to all thinking persons 
most difficult problems in all countries. It is 
really a question of fallen human nature. Japan 
has adopted a method of treating this unfortu- 
nate class, of controlling the social vice, which 
is practised in many cities of several countries 
and which now has been advocated in other 
countries. Of course this is not the place for 
any broad discussion of the question, but in 
Japan the system adopted results in most griev- 
ous social debasement. It cannot be passed over 
in these concluding notes without some slight 
notice. The traffic in question has legal sane- 



PECULIARITIES OF JAPAN 219 

tion in Vienna, in Paris, and in some other 
cities ; but it is peculiarly abominable when con- 
trasted with many of the peaceful, gentle, and 
courteous aspects of Japanese domestic life. It 
would be easy to name cities in Japan in which 
there are public establishments whose young 
women are as truly slaves as are the Caucasian 
girls who are bought and sold for Turkish ha- 
rems. In Japan some parents sell their daugh- 
ters when mere children to be sacrificed on the 
altar of sin. Lately efforts were made to get 
a student in one of our schools for this purpose. 
These girls are formally registered and officially 
degraded and sacrificed. It is a terrible subject. 
God save the women of Japan, of America, of 
the world ! May all races be saved, exalted, and 
divinized ! 

Politeness. — Politeness is second nature to 
the Japanese. Very young children are taught 
to manifest civility and to show respect. The 
spirit of courtesy marks prince and coolie alike. 
Villages are often excited with curiosity as they 
see strangers, but their curiosity is natural in 
the presence of foreigners, whose ways are to 
them so novel. Professor Chamberlain says : 
" Many travelers irritate the Japanese by talk- 
ing and acting as if they thought Japan and her 
customs were a sort of peep-show, set up for for- 
eigners to gape at." In many respects we might 
well imitate the example of gentle behavior 
and of cordial good nature set us by the Japanese. 

Their salutations are extraordinary. Some- 



220 AROUND THE WORLD 

times they are profound, deliberate, and even 
majestic. On the deck of our steamer two 
Japanese men in mature life and in good cir- 
cumstances were parting. They bowed almost 
to the deck, bowed repeatedly, and remained 
bowed for a considerable time. It was fortunate 
for them that the boat was not ready to start 
else both would have been carried away. In a 
village I saw a young man kneel on the floor 
before a man who was presumably a local magis- 
trate and touch the matting several times with 
his forehead. I have been frequently discon- 
certed at our schools for girls and in meeting 
our church-members because of their prostra- 
tions and other salutations. There is danger 
that this will minister to European pride and to 
an unchristian spirit of caste. It is said that 
two coolies, each carrying two heavy baskets of 
fruit on bamboo poles on their shoulders, ran 
against each other on the street and spilled their 
fruit in every direction. For a moment they 
looked at each other aghast, and conflicting emo- 
tions seemed to strive for the mastery. Then 
they bowed low and often to each other and 
went to work with a will, each helping the 
other to gather up the fruit. Indeed, it is said 
that, strictly speaking, profanity is foreign to 
their language. Unfortunately, Europeans and 
"Christians" are teaching these people both 
vulgarity and profanity. 

The vanity of the women seems to manifest 
itself in attention to their dark and abundant 
hair. It is dressed elaborately. Saturated with 



PECULIARITIES OF JAPAN 221 

pomade, it is worked up into all sorts of shapes, 
made sometimes to look like a bird with out- 
spreading wings. One dressing will last for 
several days, the wooden pillows on which they 
rest their heads at night not seriously disturb- 
ing the dressing. The head is always uncov- 
ered, the thick hair being sufficient protection. 
The same is true in part of the men. The only 
ornaments the women wear are their flashing 
hair-pins. The women are polite as well as the 
men, but their training, their sense of inferiority, 
makes them timid, shrinking, and diffident. 
They are interesting in their native dress. Some 
of them, according to their, and even our, stand- 
ard, are pretty. They look like bundles of 
goods, but the common working woman is very 
common-looking indeed. What a noise a train- 
load of Japanese make as they shuffle, clatter, 
and rattle over the pavement when a train dis- 
charges its occupants. 

Japanese women in European garments are 
utterly out of place. Then they are completely 
disillusionized ; then they are brought into com- 
parison with our noblest women, greatly to the 
disadvantage of the Japanese. Their curved 
figures cannot stand European clothes ; their 
turned-in toes may be modest and perhaps in a 
way graceful, as they grip with them their clat- 
tering sandals. But in boots and dresses let 
Japanese women never appear. If they are wise 
they will never make the attempt. But let all 
dare what many are now daring, not to blacken 
their teeth and shave their eyebrows. This 



222 AROUND THE WORLD 

practice makes them hideous. What a horrible 
commentary on the nation it is that the only 
way a married woman can be trusted is by 
making herself abominably ugly. One would 
think she would like to be attractive for her 
husband's sake ; one would think that he would 
like to have her so, alike for his sake and hers. 

It is said that Japanese politeness is like their 
famous lacquer-work, only on the outside ; per- 
haps this is largely so. But better politeness 
than rudeness in any case. I can well under- 
derstand that many Japanese are shocked at the 
rough and ready ways of many Americans. 
Really, we might well learn lessons from them 
in regard to politeness. The Golden Rule given 
by Christ formulates the true spirit of courtesy, 
and is the highest law of etiquette. I have seen 
in some of our missionaries distinct traces of the 
influence of Japanese politeness. Politeness is a 
Christian virtue in whatever people found. 
Nothing is more certain than that our Lord, in 
all the noblest senses of the term, was a " gen- 
tleman." 

Japanese Handicaps. — In a recent speech to 
students, Lieutenant Viscount Soga pointed out 
some difficulties now before Japan in the great 
international competition on which she has en- 
tered. There is, first, the handicap imposed on 
her students by the clumsy ideographs of the 
written Japanese language. We know that the 
Japanese have natural intelligence, though her 
students who have come to America are, of 



PECULIARITIES OF JAPAN 223 

course, picked students. They certainly have 
won their full share of honors in our highest 
schools of learning-. But their own language is 
a serious drawback to them as well as to all our 
missionaries. In a recent article in a Japanese 
paper, referring to the address to which I have 
alluded, it is pointed out that the four thousand 
characters in the language must be mastered 
before a student can read an ordinary newspaper, 
and it is shown that acquiring this knowledge 
is an appalling waste of time and effort. The 
writer of the article claimed that there is noth- 
ing in these languages valuable either in medi- 
cine, in mathematics, in philosophy, in poetry, 
or in religion ; that there is not a thought which 
has not been better expressed elsewhere ; that 
these hieroglyphics limit thought, fetter the 
imagination, and restrict the reason ; that they 
make the mind helpless as a caged eagle. 

No doubt this barbaric calligraphy is a great 
barrier to Japan's progress. She ought to come 
into the great family of nations using the Roman 
character ; then all foreigners could readily learn 
the language. The world would lose but little 
if all the literature in the old characters were de- 
stroyed. There is a society of the Japanese to 
encourage this idea, the Romaji Kwai. All 
our missionaries will welcome the introduction 
of the Roman character. They tell me that the 
use of the Chinese characters in conjunction 
with the Japanese is the most perplexing part 
of the study. Japan has already borrowed too 
much from China. Let her now free herself 



224 AROUND TH£ WORLD 

from the shackles of her barbaric infancy and 
come out with a Japanese language in the char- 
acters of the most enlightened nations of the 
earth. 

Another handicap pointed out in the address 
is the incompetency and unreliability of Japanese 
business men. Their word, according to well- 
nigh universal testimony, is untrustworthy. A 
case has recently come up in a Japanese court 
which illustrates this statement. It is affirmed 
that a Japanese firm, in dealing with a British 
house, will break its contracts when a change in 
prices makes a violation of contract a financial 
gain. The Chinese business men are more com- 
petent. They are found in banks and in the 
great houses of merchandise in places of trust, 
and the Japanese fear them. 

There are historical reasons for the defects of 
Japanese business men. Under the old rkgime the 
soldier was the man whom the people honored ; 
next to him was the manufacturer or artisan who 
made swords for the soldier ; next the farmer who 
raised grain to feed him, and far down the list 
were peddlers and merchants who merely sold 
goods. All this was reversed in China. There 
the soldier was despised, the merchant honored, 
and we see in the two nations to-day the results 
of these different standards of character and con- 
duct. But the Japanese merchant will improve. 
He must. He has to adapt himself to new con- 
ditions, and he is Yankee enough to learn soon, 
from policy if not from principle, how to do it. 

The third barrier named in the address is the 



PECULIARITIES OF JAPAN 225 

peril of armaments disproportioned to the reve- 
nues of the country. Japan's revenue is less 
than fifty million dollars. She hopes greatly to 
increase it when she has Formosa fully con- 
quered, but that result is still in the future. 
Granting that her revenue were one hundred 
million dollars, that would be a small amount 
to enable Japan to compete in the new world 
into which she is now entering. He was a fool- 
ish Japanese who said to Mr. Bennett and me 
the other day on the train, foolish though a 
university professor, " Japan can whip any two 
nations on the earth." Perhaps this bumptious 
spirit is inevitable just now, when the people are 
intoxicated with success, but it is just the spirit 
which true Japanese dislike. Great Britain 
spends yearly on her navy a sum nearly twice 
as large as the entire present revenue of Japan. 
She needs to cultivate modesty and all the arts 
of peace. She has a great future, and she must 
prepare for it by being in the highest sense a 
great, a fully civilized, and a thoroughly Chris- 
tianized people. 



XIX 

THE GIBRALTAR OF THE EAST 

HONG KONG might mean "Red Harbor"; 
if the form Hiang Kiang is adopted, the 
meaning will be "fragrant streams." The word 
Hong often signifies a row or series of rooms, 
shops, factories, or warehouses. Each block of 
factories is called by the natives a " hong." 
When about a dozen merchants at Canton had 
a monopoly of the foreign trade they were 
called "hong merchants." 

Hong Kong Harbor. — Weird was Hong 
Kong as we entered its harbor after nightfall. 
The sky was bright with stars, and the electric 
lights, rising row upon row, illuminated the hill 
which rises behind and above the city. Both 
the stars and the electric lights were reflected in 
the placid waters. The varied-colored lights 
from the many ships in the harbor mingled 
their rays with the other lights, thus adding to 
the beauty of the striking scene. Jutting out 
from the mainland opposite is the little penin- 
sula of Kowloong, whose lights completed the 
unique picture. This territory was ceded to the 
British government by the convention of Peking, 
October 24, 1861. The next morning we waited 
226 



THE GIBRALTAR OF THE EAST 227 

on deck until the clouds lifted — some rain hav- 
ing fallen in the night — and then the entire 
view of hills, harbor, and city burst upon our 
sight. This magnificent harbor, surrounded by 
its ranges of lofty hills, renders shelter and 
affords depth for any known tonnage. It is a 
beautiful amphitheatre, a watery arena, covered 
with merchantmen and men-of-war of all nations. 
Hong Kong is the great emporium of the east. 
With rare skill does Great Britain find and se- 
cure strategic points on many shores. The 
statesmanship of Britain is concerned only in 
small part with the little islands which make up 
Great Britain. It is the greater Britain reach- 
ing to the ends of the earth which must chiefly 
occupy the minds of British statesmen. The 
prime minister who cannot by a wise and vigor- 
ous policy conserve these interests, whatever 
else he may be in many other important respects, 
cannot really govern Great Britain. Her rela- 
tions are so numerous and complicated that the 
utmost wisdom is required to hold the balances 
justly, preserving her dignity, asserting her au- 
thority, and yet observing the rights of other 
nations. Years have taught her wisdom. One 
almost hesitates to speculate on the " might 
have been " if Britain had acted wisely toward 
her American colonies, now the United States 
of America. Britain now gives her colonies 
many rights which were then denied. They 
enjoy an autonomy, which once would have 
seemed impossible, either to the mother or to 
the children. These colonies are virtually repub- 



228 AROUND THE WORLD 

lies, though the shadow of the British throne 
falls on them in the appointment of the governor 
general, who for a time is the representative of 
royalty. As a rule, however, these colonies are 
bound to the mother country by ties of loyalty 
as strong as they are tender. Spain's treatment 
of Cuba shows how little true statesmanship 
Spain possesses. Anglo-Saxon blood and Prot- 
estant faith are needed for the world's greatest 
prosperity. This blood and this faith will yet 
rule the world. Thoughts like these suggested 
themselves as this remote British colonial city 
rose up before us in its beautiful situation. 

About us are the bluish-green and greenish- 
blue waters, and yonder the mountains of vol- 
canic rock rising sheer from the water's edge. 
These mountains rise in terrace above terrace in 
the form of a crescent. Our steamer is sur- 
rounded by scores upon scores of utterly un- 
sightly and abominably unclean sampans and 
other small craft. Many of the boats are 
" manned " by loud-voiced women, who steer, 
scull, cook, manage the numerous children, and 
drive hard bargains, and, when not otherwise 
engaged, quietly smoke or noisily chatter with 
their sister boatwomen. It is said that there are 
over twenty thousand Chinese in Hong Kong 
harbor who have no other dwellings but small 
boats, such as sampans, hakans, and various 
sorts of diminutive junks. They earn a scanty 
subsistence by fishing, by transporting passen- 
gers and cargoes to and from shore, and in 
attending in other ways on the ships. The 



THE GIBRALTAR OF THE EAST 229 

women seemed to be quite as strong and skillful 
as the men ; they were quite as able to push 
their boats into the line and to shout for passen- 
gers as are their husbands and brothers. In this 
latter respect they rival New York hackmen and 
London cabmen. 

Steam launches, belonging to the ship or to 
the hotels, carried the cabin passengers ashore, 
and then the steerage passengers were beset by 
the runners from the native hotels. These run- 
ners wear a cone-shaped hat, bearing in Chinese 
characters the name of the hotel represented. 
They are a noisy crowd, and scramble up the 
sides of the ship with alacrity. To each steer- 
age passenger on this occasion there seemed to 
be at least twenty runners, but no doubt when 
large numbers of Chinese are returning from 
America, Hawaii, and other lands, these runners 
find many patrons. Both hotel runners and 
boatmen and women are for the most part Hak- 
kas, who were formerly the sole dwellers on this 
island. 

The island of Hong Kong is eleven miles 
long and its width varies from two to five miles ; 
its circumference is about twenty-seven miles, 
and it has an area of about twenty-nine square 
miles. Its cession to Britain by the Chinese 
government took place in 1841 as a preliminary 
measure ; and as in 1843, by the treaty of Nankin, 
it was ceded in perpetuity to Her Britannic 
Majesty, it is now a crown colony. It is situ- 
ated at the mouth of Chu Kiang or Pearl River, 
ninety miles below Canton and forty miles from 



23O AROUND THE WORLD 



Macao, the Portuguese port. A rugged moun- 
tain runs from east to west, rising at its highest 
point to eighteen hundred feet. On the south 
coast sandy beaches and bold cliffs alternate. 
The houses rise on terrace after terrace and are 
imposing and some of them beautiful. 

The Capital City. — The island is Hong 
Kong, but the legal and official name of the city 
which is the capital is Victoria. After spread- 
ing out along the water's edge for some miles 
the city climbs the steep slopes at its back in 
villas and gardens until it reaches almost to the 
summit of the peak. The population is some- 
what over two hundred and forty thousand, of 
which number fewer than five thousand are 
Europeans and Americans. These figures show 
that the proportion of Chinese residents is very 
great, and about one-third of them are by birth 
British subjects. The Chinese section flanks 
the foreign quarter, and is quite characteristic 
of the race, being crowded, dirty, and abomi- 
nable. 

A very busy scene meets the tourist when he 
reaches the shore. He will be impressed imme- 
diately with the variety and picturesqueness of 
the population. The ends of the earth meet in 
Hong Kong. It is in many ways the world's 
exchange. Here the east and the west and the 
north and the south meet to do business, and 
meet often to cheat and to be cheated. A jinri- 
kisha ride on the broad Praya, an avenue which 
is to Hong Kong what the Bund is at Yoko- 



THE GIBRALTAR OF THE EAST 231 

hama or at Kobe, being the street which fronts 
the water, will show the visitor streets swarming 
with a motley crowd. All classes, conditions, 
and phases of humanity seem to be here. Here 
are Jews, Turks, Mohammedans, Europeans, 
a few Americans, Hindus, Javanese, Japanese, 
Cingalese, Malays, Parsees, Sikhs, Portuguese, 
French, Spaniards, and Germans, — the last 
being mostly Jews and money-lenders, — half- 
castes, Chinese merchants, and, always and every- 
where, the Chinese coolies, carrying poles, buck- 
ets, baskets, and sedan chairs, or clumsily trotting 
with the clumsy jinrikishas. The Chinese jinri- 
kisha and the Chinese runner have neither the 
grace nor the endurance of the Japanese vehicle 
and man. 

Continuing our ride or walk, we observe these 
various classes more closely in this bedlamic 
whirl of their commingled existence. Here is 
an Indian ayah clothed in white ; here is a Sikh 
policeman, trained in the British army, standing 
on the corner in a statuesque and semi-military 
attitude ; here is a Chinese policeman looking 
quite out of place in a semi-European dress, and 
here is a European policeman. You ask him a 
question and he answers in a broad Irish brogue, 
and, if you are in any doubt, hear him shout at 
the Chinese loungers, and you might almost 
make an affidavit that you are in New York ; 
here a mender, who will do your darning and 
patching, sits by a basket of rags ; here a peri- 
patetic barber lays down his poles and boxes, 
takes out his tools and begins operations on a 



232 AROUND THE WORLD 

needy customer ; here pig-tailed boys at. play ; 
here peddlers shouting their wares. It would 
seem that the custom of compressing the feet is 
dying out. Some elderly women were hobbling 
along as the victims of this custom, but young 
women seem to have been brought up with more 
sense. Here also are elegant men and women 
riding, driving, walking. Here are British sol- 
diers, whose drum-beat is heard around the 
world, dressed in white linen in summer and in 
their scarlet uniforms in winter. This is the 
bewildering panorama which one sees on the 
Praya, Queen's Road, and a few other thorough- 
fares. 

This is truly a cosmopolitan city ; it is one of 
the great highways of the world ; it is the meeting- 
place of Asia, Australia, Oceanica, Europe, and 
America. The garrison of troops gives one a 
sense of security. These troops suggest British 
might, enterprise, and wisdom. Wherever the 
British flag goes commerce goes, liberty goes, 
progress goes, civilization goes, Christianity 
goes. Hong Kong is a strong fortress, a safe- 
guard to all Asia, the Gibraltar of the East. Its 
commerce is enormous. It registers, perhaps, a 
greater commercial tonnage than any other port 
in the world. The city of Victoria is a British 
colony by itself, having a colonial governor and 
staff, and maintaining a small court, with social 
ambitions as high as their sphere is narrow. 
Here is the naval station for the British Asiatic 
fleet, and at Kowloong, on the opposite shore, 
are the docks, arsenals, and foundries which fur- 



THE GIBRALTAR OF THE EAST 233 

nish every necessary requirement for peace or 
munition for war. 

As one might expect, the summer temperature 
is high, as the place is only a little over twenty- 
two degrees north of the equator. There is also 
here at times great atmospheric humidity. From 
May to October the heat is oppressive, and is 
accompanied with rain and dampness. But the 
houses are usually built with broad verandas 
and receding apartments, so that their interior 
is comfortably cool. Many of the houses built 
in this fashion seem almost like fortifications. 
The buildings in the European quarter are 
largely of granite, there being an excellent gran- 
ite quarry in the neighborhood, and labor being 
cheap the solidity, massiveness, and stability of 
the houses in this quarter are observable. After 
seeing the flimsy and ephemeral homes of Japan, 
it is a comfort to see these great and massive 
structures. The arcades over the walks are also 
a marked feature ; they give needed protection 
from rain and sun. They remind one of many 
European cities, and especially of some parts of 
Paris. Some foreign residents own carriages 
drawn by horses, and there are a few drays, but 
the jinrikisha and the sedan chair are the chief 
means of locomotion, and even heavy merchan- 
dise is carried by poles on the shoulders of men. 
A few horses here are of more value apparently 
than many coolies. 

Characteristic Spots. — Most of the whole- 
sale trade is carried on in the Praya, and in the 



234 AROUND THE WORXD 

Queen's Road, running directly behind the Praya, 
the retail shops and marts for curios are found. In 
this latter are the Chinese money-changers, with 
baskets on the floor at their feet, into which they 
throw the silver in heaps when they have tested 
it by feeling and sounding it. Silver filigree 
work, ivory, carvings, porcelain, and ornaments 
of gold and silver are temptingly displayed. 
The Chinese dealer is very shrewd, and generally 
asks much more than he will finally take. 

Hong Kong being a free port, Eiiropean goods 
are bought at prices but slightly in advance of 
home rates. A Hong Kong newspaper, which 
contained nothing except advertisements, a few 
scissorings, and two editorials in very indifferent 
English, cost me the exorbitant sum of fourteen 
cents. In Hong Kong, as in Japan, the plan 
seems to be to put the daily newspapers at such 
prices that no one will buy them, and it would 
seem as if this end were fully attained, except 
when an ignorant tourist is betrayed into making 
a foolish purchase. In the banks, Chinamen or 
half-castes share the duties with Europeans, and 
some of the banks are fine structures. Coolies 
swing great fans over the desks, and the clerks, 
dressed in white, work very deliberately. Getting 
five pounds in one of these banks proved to be a 
prolonged and very solemn function. 

Near the city is a race-course in a locality 
known as the " Happy Valley." There are also 
the Protestant, Roman, Mohammedan, Parsee, 
Hindu, and Chinese cemeteries. The City Hall, 
Hong Kong and Shanghai banks are fine build- 



THE GIBRALTAR OF THE EAST 235 

ings. To some the military parade ground, 
cricket grounds, and barracks are an attraction. 
The Government House, public gardens, and St. 
John's Anglican Cathedral, the clock tower, and 
several club houses will attract attention. So 
will the lines of two viaducts, the Bowen and 
Kennedy Roads, as those high promenades are 
called, being named for two favorite governors 
of the colony. 

The peak is reached by an inclined railway, 
which is worked by a cable. It goes to Victoria 
Gap, which is at a height of fourteen hundred 
feet. The road rises more than one foot in four. 
At the top are two large hotels and numerous 
dwellings, and good roads go four hundred and 
twenty-five feet higher to the main signal sta- 
tion. It is easy to imagine how superb the 
views are from this height. At the feet of the 
beholder lies the city ; stretching out before him 
is the harbor, with its many ships ; inland the 
vision extends to the encircling mountains and 
outward over the limitless ocean. Standing on 
the deck of the steamer, the night of our arrival, 
we watched at first with a puzzled interest, not 
knowing what they were, the lights of the cable 
cars as they were going up and down the moun- 
tain, a track of fire marking their course. 

Previous to 1861, Kowloong, of which men- 
tion has been made, was considered neutral ter- 
ritory, but the Chinese having violated certain 
treaty conditions, were punished by having Kow- 
loong occupied and Canton captured by the 
British. Canton, however, was held only a short 



236 AROUND THE WORLD 

time, as the Chinese government came to terms. 
Kowloong, consisting of only four square miles, 
was then added to the colony. 

Hong Kong is usually called a "fast city." 
Seaport towns uniformly possess all the vices of 
civilization. Unfortunately, these come sooner 
far than the virtues. There is a British society 
here which certainly is not " slow." Balls, horse 
races, regattas, and/etes of many kinds are com- 
mon. Club life is a characteristic of Hong 
Kong ; so are late hours, evening entertainments, 
and their inseparable accompaniments. The 
serious affairs of life are left behind, left " at 
home." This condition of things is inevitable 
when military life is a predominating element 
in any community. 

Three-century-oed Macao. — From Hong 
Kong the sea-paths, if one may so speak, diverge 
to the ends of the earth ; this city is the hub, 
these paths are the spokes, and the circle of the 
earth is the tire. But before going out to the 
larger world, or on to Canton, a glimpse of the 
old city of Macao will repay the trouble. The 
trip planned in New York admits of but three 
days in this vicinity, and that plan will be ob- 
served ; but it is quite possible, with energy and 
diligence, to get a hasty glimpse of both Macao 
and Canton. In a few hours one may go from 
Hong Kong to Macao, which is on the western 
part of the estuary of the Canton River, forty 
miles away. It is an old Portuguese trading 
town, having been founded in 1557. For a long 



THE GIBRALTAR OF THE EAST 237 

time it was an important commercial city, but 
when Hong Kong arose, Macao declined. It is 
a quaint old place, with a population of about 
seventy thousand. Its buildings are of many 
colors, — in this respect like those of Moscow, — 
buff, blue, gray, salmon, terra-cotta, and other 
shades. On the border of its promenade is a 
dwarfed species of the banyan tree. The gar- 
dens and grotto where Camoens, the Portuguese 
poet, wrote his "Lusiad" and other poems, are 
shown, for it is said that after the vessel in 
which he sailed had been wrecked he dwelt on 
these shores. 

One may here see the licensed gambling 
houses where the Chinese and others play the 
game of " fan-tan," for Macao is the Monte Carlo 
of the far East. Here we see also the loading of 
opium cargoes, and the great industrial establish- 
ments where silk, tea, and tobacco are prepared 
for the various markets. The public and pri- 
vate gardens, the cathedral, and the faqade of 
San Pablo will repay the time required for their 
examination. There is a good hotel and the 
opportunity for enjoying a refreshing sea-bath. 
Macao, off here in the East, is a slice, an echo, a 
glimpse of medieval Europe. 



XX 

A NICK OF CHINA 

IN laying out the present trip there was no 
thought of visiting China, beyond getting a 
glimpse of one or two of her typical cities. A 
country so vast as China, and whose modes of 
travel are so primitive, cannot be extensively 
visited by a vacation tourist. When China 
comes into line with the fully civilized nations 
of the earth, and introduces modern modes of 
travel, and learns to treat foreigners courteously, 
she may expect even the hurried traveler to visit 
considerable parts of her enormous country ; but 
certainly not till then. 

Nearing Kwang-tung. — No city in China, 
perhaps, certainly none so easily accessible, is 
more typically Chinese than Canton. Two 
boats go daily each way between Hong Kong 
and Canton. If one were greatly hurried he 
could start in the morning from Hong Kong for 
the trip of ninety miles up the Pearl River to 
Canton, and then return to Hong Kong the same 
night. If he were to go and return on the night 
boat he would have an entire day in Canton. 
The ordinary traveler does not need more than 
one day to see the sights in this noisy and ill- 
238 



A NICK OF CHINA 239 

smelling, but, in its way, interesting Chinese 
city. The day trip up the river affords fine 
views of the productions of the country. Ba- 
nana, orange, sugar-cane, and tea are seen in all 
the stages of their growth. Bright-plumaged 
birds, brilliant flowers, and strange trees are also 
seen, the trees being trained to grow in the shape 
of men and of animals of many kinds. Large 
portions of the country are under rice cultiva- 
tion, and here and there are fruit and nut or- 
chards. The soil is very fertile, the vegetation 
at times showing the luxuriance characteristic 
of tropical countries. 

The river is often at least two miles wide, and 
there are also occasional bays apparently from 
six to eight miles across. The water-ways are 
of the greatest importance in a country where 
railways have not been introduced. China de- 
pends largely on her canals and rivers, her high- 
ways being such only in name. China lives in 
a dim and hazy past. She is an enigma to the 
world. In the journey two lofty pagodas, be- 
longing to Whampoa and Honam, were ob- 
served. In the galleries of one of these pa- 
godas, trees and shrubs are growing, giving it a 
strangely picturesque appearance. As we ap- 
proached Canton, the boats in the river, of many 
kinds, rapidly increased in number. The fish- 
ing boats indicate that a large percentage of the 
people secure their daily food by fishing. Women 
are more numerous than men as the managers of 
these boats, and the ubiquitous baby is on their 
backs. The women row, fish, run, and jump, 



24O AROUND TH^ WORLD 

and the baby sleeps or crawls, but seldom cries 
or looks in any way unhappy. The market-boat, 
propelled by a large wheel at the stern worked 
by a dozen or more semi-nude men in a sort of 
tread-mill fashion, especially attracts attention. 
There are also steamers, junks, and swarms of 
smaller craft of many kinds. 

Nearing Canton the city wall, the many-storied 
pagoda, and the twin spires of the Roman Catholic 
cathedral are seen ; so are the high, square, 
tower-like buildings, which are pawnshops, a 
very important feature of Chinese life. Draw- 
ing still nearer, a fleet of boats, called "slipper 
boats," is seen. They have a boothlike cover- 
ing running down to a point at the forward end, 
so that they rightly bear a name derived from 
their resemblance to a slipper. This class of 
boats is of a higher order than the sampans or- 
dinarily seen. They are also chiefly managed 
by women, who vociferously shout for passengers, 
as the boats are mostly used to carry passengers 
from one side of the river to the other. For 
Chinese boats they are reasonably clean, and 
they are sometimes even adorned with pictures 
and mirrors. 

The river population of Canton is supposed 
to be from two hundred thousand to three hun- 
dred thousand. These people form a separate 
class, living in the innumerable boats moored in 
the river and the network of creeks through the 
city. They are born on these boats, on them 
they live, and on them many die. 

The so-called " flower-boats " are another pe- 



A NICK OF CHINA 24 1 

culiar feature of Chinese life. In many respects 
they resemble canal boats ; on them houses of 
one or two stories are built. They are securely 
moored, and do not change their location, being 
arranged in regular streets and avenues. They 
are fitted up as restaurants, and are approached 
in boats. A fire about a year before this visit 
much reduced their number, but hundreds of 
them still remained. These early glimpses of 
the Celestial Empire suggested the adjective 
" infernal " rather than " celestial." 

The Walled City. — Canton, or Kwang-tung, 
is situated on the Chu Kiang or Pearl River ; it 
is the capital of the important province of Kwang- 
tung, and the place of residence of the viceroy 
of the two Kwang provinces, Kwang-tung and 
Kwang-si. It is the emporium of Chinese com- 
merce. The river is very picturesque. The en- 
trance to it is called "Boca Tigris." This is the 
Portuguese translation of the Chinese Hit-man, 
meaning " Tiger's Mouth." The city proper ex- 
tends to a breadth of two miles, and is about six 
miles in circumference. It is enclosed by walls 
about twenty feet thick, and from twenty-five 
to forty feet high, through which entrance to 
the city is made by sixteen gates in addition 
to two water gates. A guard-house is attached 
to each gate. Canton has been called at times 
the City of Rams and the City of Genii. Of 
course legends have suggested these names. 
According to them five protecting spirits de- 
scended from heaven, more than two thousand 

Q 



242 AROUND THE WORLD 

years ago, mounted on as many rams. It would 
seem as if in the interval since then almost 
everything which might claim, even in legend, 
a heavenly origin had departed from the bedlam 
called Canton. It is, however, the chief trading 
center of southern China. 

Ever since the eighth century of our era the 
city has been known to foreigners ; but the 
southern enclosure, known as the new city, is 
comparatively modern, having been added in 
1568. In the suburbs are found the European 
factories, or hongs. We know that Arab traders 
were in Canton in the tenth century ; the Por- 
tuguese came early in the sixteenth century ; 
and early in the seventeenth century the Tartar 
invasion occurred. The Tartar population is 
found now chiefly in the old city. The famous 
East India Company found a foothold here in 
the seventeenth century, and for one hundred 
and fifty years controlled foreign trade. 

Attention has been called in an earlier para- 
graph to the fact that the city was invested by 
the British in 1841 ; at that time it would have 
been bombarded but that it paid the sum of six 
million dollars for its release, the Chinese having 
been guilty of violation of treaties. In Decem- 
ber, 1857, Canton was captured by the allied 
forces of the British and French, and held in 
their hands for nearly four years, the govern- 
ment being administered by a joint commission. 
China finally came to terms, and the foreign 
troops were withdrawn. Great Britain has had 
a summary way of dealing with Asiatic nations, 



A NICK OF CHINA 243 

and recent massacres in China demand at this 
moment decisive measures. 

The sight-seeing of the day must begin. 
Already the babel of many voices falls upon the 
ear ; it is in the distance like the roar of the sea 
as its waves beat on the shore. There is a hotel 
on the Shameen, a small island, which is sepa- 
rated from the mainland by a small stream or 
canal, and on this island is the pretty foreign 
settlement, near the western suburb ; here are 
quiet and shady walks to which one is glad to 
retreat from the noises, sights, and smells of the 
typical Chinese city of Canton. But the traveler 
need not get a room at the hotel ; perhaps he 
has an invitation from one of the foreign resi- 
dents, but if not he can secure a cabin in the 
boat which is to take him back to Hong Kong. 
He can also bring his " tiffin" luncheon, with 
him from the boat. 

The Shameen is really an Arcadian island. 
One would think that the contrast between it 
and the Chinese parts of the city would favor- 
ably impress even the Chinese, and would in- 
spire them to imitate the neatness and cleanli- 
ness of the foreigners ; no doubt it does impress 
the Chinese and does inspire them — inspires 
them to look down with unutterable contempt 
on these barbarous foreigners. Just at this time 
especially the Cantonese were not disposed to 
look with favor on foreigners ; it was therefore 
well for tourists not to notice critical comments 
which they could not understand, nor unpleasant 
gestures whose meaning is not concealed. 



244 AROUND THE WORLD 

The stream or canal which separates the Sha- 
meen from the mainland is rilled with sampans, 
but there are only two avenues of approach, one 
by the English and the other by the French 
bridge ; these bridges are closed at night and 
guarded by the police, and Chinese are not al- 
lowed entrance unless they have a permit. The 
closing and opening of the gates are marked by 
a great din caused by blowing horns and beat- 
ing drums, and reaching a climax in the dis- 
charge of an old musket. The racket is so 
great as almost to lead one to suppose that the 
whole Celestial Empire is in a state of rebellion. 
It is, indeed, an " infernal " din to be made by a 
" celestial " city. It is supposed that the law is 
made majestic in proportion to the noise which 
accompanies its manifestations. 

Streets of Canton. — The noise, bustle, 
crowding, and squeezing are all one can endure. 
You select one of the corps of professional 
guides, or perhaps some less pretentious cice- 
rone, and the company starts ; the sedan chairs 
follow their leader in single file through the 
streets, making a procession as unique to Euro- 
pean eyes as it is natural to the eyes of the Can- 
tonese. The route is the established one, chosen 
as the result of experience so as to give the vis- 
itor the greatest amount of sight-seeing with the 
smallest expenditure of time and labor. The 
sedan chairs cost but little, and they save time 
and strength, but their most important service is 
that they lift one above the horrible filth of the 



A NICK OF CHINA 245 



vile streets ; if they could only protect the nos- 
trils as well as the ankles their value would be 
greatly enhanced. 

Streets, did I say? Well, by courtesy they 
are called streets. There is in Canton a popula- 
tion of perhaps a million and a half, and there 
is not a street in the city more than eight feet 
wide ; many are from six to seven feet, and some 
are even narrower, even though the law is that 
they shall be at least seven. Horses and car- 
riages are unknown here. I thought the streets 
narrow in Spanish cities ; but think of those of 
Canton. Even the comfortable jinrikisha cannot 
be used here ; everything has to be carried on 
human shoulders. Two chairs and their coolies 
can barely brush past each other. Turning a 
corner often necessitates invading a shop front 
with the poles of the sedan chair, and a chair 
may for a time block a whole street. Then a 
babel of shouts rends the air and almost splits 
the ear. Where streets meet, or in front of some 
special business house, or some dignitary's dwell- 
ing, there is a little additional space, but such 
spaces are exceptional. 

The street scenes are a study. In front of 
some shops there are brightly colored signs, 
mysterious, hieroglyphical, bewildering. Occa- 
sionally, as in Seville, a canopy is drawn across 
the street and the sky is hidden from view. The 
shop fronts are removed and all goods are open 
to inspection, and narrow as the streets are, some 
of their space is occupied by merchants ambi- 
tious to display their goods. Long-gowned mer- 



246 AROUND THE WORLD 

chants abound ; and porters in scantiest garb are 
hurrying to and fro, carrying great bundles sus- 
pended from poles on their shoulders. Here 
comes a dignitary with a two-storied red um- 
brella. Who may he be? His umbrella pro- 
claims him to be a man of rank. He claims 
the right of way. Ordinary citizens flatten 
themselves against the wall or find shelter in a 
doorway to let him pass. Here comes a gayly 
painted and gilded wedding-chair, with sounds 
called music heralding its approach. By all 
means yield the right of way again. 

Did you think the streets were narrow, foul- 
smelling, and generally disgusting? Has your 
olfactory sense been in a state of rebellion ever 
since you began your strange journey ? You are 
quite mistaken. " What is in a name ? " You 
shall see. You have complained, good friend, 
of the thousand mingled and vile odors which 
saluted your nostril in yonder street. Then 
know, O complaining mortal, that you were in 
the "Street of Refreshing Breezes." Breezes, 
indeed, but refreshing ! Well, that is not ex- 
actly the name which occurred to you. Were 
you deafened by the din of that other street? 
Did you determine to hasten from it to one 
which you found still fuller with rushing tides 
of humanity and noises of bedlam or babel ? 
Then know that the latter street is none other 
than the " Street of Ten Thousand-fold Peace," 
and the former the "Street of Multiplied Bless- 
ings." 

Does this nomenclature madden or sadden you ? 



A NICK OF CHINA 247 

Preserve your soul in patience ; go farther and 
you may travel through such streets as " Ever- 
lasting Love," "Thousand Beatitudes," "One 
Thousand Grandsons," " Benevolence and Love " ; 
or, what seems more in keeping with all you see, 
smell, and feel, the street of " The Saluting 
Dragon." Some of the streets are devoted to 
distinct trades ; thus there is " Carpenter " 
Street, " Apothecary " Street, and others of other 
trades or pursuits. Verily, there is much in a 
name ; in the streets of Canton much contradic- 
tion and sometimes much righteous indignation. 

Chief Sights. — Here temples abound. In 
this respect China goes ahead of Japan. There 
are in China three great isms ; Buddhism, Con- 
fucianism, and Taoism. Confucius lived about 
the sixth century before Christ ; Lao-tse, the 
founder of Taoism, was his contemporary, and 
Buddhism was introduced from India about the 
time of the Christian era. Except among the 
learned Chinese there is no clearly defined dis- 
tinction between these various beliefs ; their 
lines cross and recross one another. In temples 
dedicated to one faith there are found forms of 
worship and images which are utterly repudiated 
by the founders and the intelligent devotees of 
that faith. 

The one dominating religious faith in China 
is the worship of ancestors. This is the distin- 
guishing element in their religious philosophy, 
and is the only faith which may rightly be 
called national. While on this journey I read 



248 AROUND THE WORLD 

careful histories and arguments on this subject, 
and I was convinced that this is the one domi- 
nating faith and worship. It often controls the 
administration of justice ; it determines the suc- 
cession to power ; it influences every social rela- 
tion ; it even leads to the return of the Chinese 
emigrant, living or dead. This is not the place 
for the discussion of this broad subject ; but it 
is certainly true that all minor matters of belief 
are absorbed in this national tenet of Chinese 
faith. 

In China, as in Japan, there are numerous sects 
of Buddhists. There is in Canton a temple to 
Confucius in every division of the city, and these 
temples, like the Shinto shrines in Japan, are 
relatively plain, while the Buddhist and Taoist 
temples have many deities and strange and often 
hideous objects of worship. 

One will, of course, visit the temple of the 
Five Hundred Genii, situated in the western 
suburbs. This temple is sometimes called The 
Flowery Forest Monastery, and it is said to have 
been founded about the year 500 A. d. ; it con- 
tains the images of five hundred disciples, sages, 
and apostles of Buddha. The only thing worthy 
of notice is that the expressions on the features 
of these deified sages and warriors differ essen- 
tially ; but they all agree in being exceedingly 
commonplace. The images of the good Empe- 
ror Kien Lung, who ruled for sixty years, and 
of Marco Polo, the famous Venetian traveler, 
are worthy of a second look because of their 
historical associations, 



A NICK OF CHINA 249 

The Taoist monastery of Three Chiefs occu- 
pies a picturesque location on the side of Kun 
Yam Hill. The water clock is largely a very 
commonplace affair; it is a very crude mode of 
measuring time ; indeed an ordinary American 
boy could improve upon it in all its parts. The 
five-storied pagoda is a long red building rising 
over the wall. It commands a superb view of 
the surrounding country. The Flowery Pagoda 
is a nine-storied octagonal structure of great 
beauty. It is probably fourteen hundred years 
old, and is one hundred and seventy feet high. 
Like towers in Pisa, Bologna, and other places, 
it leans from the perpendicular, but only slightly. 
A few years ago the sum of ten thousand dollars 
was expended on it in making extensive repairs. 
The natives regard the temple of Honan as pos- 
sessing great sanctity ; here Buddhist priests offi- 
ciate and there is a group of shrines dedicated 
to various deities. The trees shading the courts 
are of great age, height, and size. As often seen 
in Japan, two hideous idols of colossal size, half 
man and half animal, are placed at the main en- 
trance ; they are the guardians of the portals. 
Shaven-headed priests, like those one often sees 
in Roman churches, sleek, fat, and gross, were 
burning incense, chanting, and performing other 
rites. The temple of Horrors is one of the 
popular places of Buddhist worship ; in its hor- 
rid representations of Buddhist hells it is worthy 
of its name. 

The Examination Hall is a historic institu- 
tion. It is in some sort an approach to foreign 



250 AROUND THE WORLD 

universities. Here examinations are held, last- 
ing three days, under the direction of high offi- 
cials. There are twelve thousand cells on the 
grounds, and for two days and nights the candi- 
dates are kept therein ; a strict watch is main- 
tained that they may not communicate with one 
another or with any persons in the outside world. 
When a death occurs the body is removed 
through a hole in the wall, for the gates cannot 
be unlocked until the examination is over. 
Usually only forty to fifty students receive de- 
grees, and these go to Peking for further exam- 
ination, and, if successful, are then given posi- 
tions of honor under the government. But 
there is not space to speak of the city prison, 
where punishment is barbarous and where de- 
capitations take place each Friday ; of the tem- 
ple of Longevity, of that of the Queen of 
Heaven, of the pen of sacred swine, of the 
Viceroy's Literary Club, of the Magistrate's 
Halls, or Yarnens, of the Tea Merchants' Guild 
Hall, and still other objects of interest. 

In the bazaars are seen fine specimens of por- 
celain, of jade-stone jewelry, of ivory carvings, 
of silks in many kinds, of goods and curios of 
various sorts and prices. There are shops for 
the sale of edible birds' nests, brought, it is said, 
from Borneo ; and there are restaurants and 
markets where cats, dogs, and rats are sold as the 
staple foods ; but these are found only in what 
we would call the slums. The rat is certainly 
in the market ; no one can truthfully deny that 
statement. It is there alive in cages ; it is there 



A NICK OF CHINA 251 

fresh or dried on meatshop counters ; it is there 
in the queer-looking bit of dried meat, making 
itself known by the long, thin tail " curled like 
a grape tendril." 

Let the bewildering, dazing, tiresome, instruc- 
tive day pass. Let this city of splendor and 
squalor, of Oriental wealth and barbaric gran- 
deur, fade out of sight ; but the memory of its 
simmering cookery, its vermillion signboards, its 
bustling crowds, its seething streets, its blaze 
and glitter, its beautiful and abominable sights, 
and its indescribable odors will linger in the 
mind in all the years to come. 



XXI 

MORE ABOUT CHINA 

AS we are about to leave Hong Kong a few 
comments on Chinese peculiarities seem 
to be in order. The filth of these Chinese cities 
invites all forms of epidemic diseases ; the mor- 
tality is often very great ; but one is not sur- 
prised that many die in these vile abodes, only 
that any persons live. Surely one poison must 
neutralize another, or no one could survive. 

Chinese Traits. — The opium-smoking Chi- 
naman is readily detected. This vice leaves its 
mark in bleared eyes, sallow features, unsteady 
step, and general collapse. To explain her pov- 
erty, a poor Chinese woman has only to say, 
" My husband is an opium smoker." This is 
almost the only form of stimulant used by the 
Chinese. Men intoxicated by liquor are very 
rare ; of that vice Europeans have a monopoly, 
and many of their ailments in tropical lands, 
which they attribute to the climate, are due to 
their indulgence in spirituous liquors. Britain 
has forced the opium trade on China, and it 
flourishes to the dishonor of Britain, of China, 
and of humanity. For this vice there seems to 
be little hope of cure. Japan does well to for- 
252 



MORE ABOUT CHINA 253 

bid under heavy penalties the illicit introduction 
of opium, and she will not make it legal, except 
for specified purposes. 

A queer creature is John Chinaman as one 
sees him in Hong Kong and Canton. Each 
John resembles the other. There he stands with 
his shaved head and pigtail, his loose cloth 
blouse, half shirt and half jacket, his thick- 
soled shoes — a unique, smart, cunning, danger- 
ous, enigmatical creature. When the Chinese 
meet each shakes his own hand. The women 
are seen on all the boats wearing trousers and 
the men wearing a sort of skirt. The hair of 
the men reaches in some instances to their feet ; 
but the hair of the women is tied tightly around 
their heads. 

As Mr. Ballou remarks, the spoken language 
is never written, and the written lan<nia£e is 
never spoken. White is the color of mourning, 
black of rejoicing. Dinner is begun with the 
dessert and ended with substantial food. The 
Chinese mariner's compass points to the south 
and not to the north pole. The Chinaman 
mounts a horse on the right, and not on the left 
side. Chinese men carry fans ; the women do 
not. When not in use, the fan is thrust in the 
back of his neck, leaving the handle to protrude. 

The Chinaman and his vast country have been 
hidden from view by a false conservatism ; but 
that is disappearing. The extravagant ideas 
long entertained of the Celestial Empire are 
finding correction, and the world is finding out 
the true Chinaman in his vices and virtues alike. 



254 AROUND THE WORUD 

I wish to write with absolute fairness. In do- 
mestic comfort and personal cleanliness the Chi- 
nese are far behind the Japanese ; but in avoid- 
ance of nudity they are far ahead of the Japa- 
nese. Of couse, a vacation tourist cannot see 
the best specimens of either nation ; Oriental 
exclusiveness shuts away the best specimens of 
Chinese women, and this is well understood. 
The Japanese give you a sense of kinship quite 
unknown when you meet the Chinese. Cooked 
food is placed near the dead ; but a similar cus- 
tom may be seen at Genoa, at Pisa, and in other 
countries where Romanism is dominant. The 
Chinaman has made swine sacred, but the Hindu 
deifies cows and monkeys. 

There is another side to the Chinese charac- 
ter. In many of the cities of China there are 
philanthropic societies which will take rank 
with those of Europe and America. This 
strange people comprise a great share of the hu- 
man race. The peculiarities and difficulties of 
the Chinese language help to shut out the peo- 
ple from the knowledge of other nations, and 
their enormous self-conceit adds to the same re- 
sult. No nation but the Japanese has ever bor- 
rowed from the Chinese language. It was prob- 
ably composed originally of hieroglyphics, which 
eventually came to be symbolic as the language 
now stands. 

But it must not be forgotten that the Chinese 
have had a great history. They were a learned 
people when the great nations of to-day were 
barbarians. The Japanese borrowed their Ian- 



MORE ABOUT CHINA 255 

guage, their literature, their philosophy, and 
their religion largely from the Chinese. Chinese 
records go back to the days of Abraham. Print- 
ing by movable types was known in China five 
hundred years before printing was* known in 
Europe. In geography, astronomy, and allied 
branches, China was early far advanced, and 
learning is still honored and considerably dif- 
fused. The percentage of illiteracy is far lower 
in China than in such Roman Catholic countries 
as Spain, Italy, and Mexico. Civil service ex- 
aminations are marvelously rigid. A knowledge 
of the use of gunpowder and of the magnetic 
compass went from China to Europe, probably 
by way of Asia Minor or the Red Sea. China 
has had a great past ; God grant that she may 
have a great, a Christian future. It would not 
be surprising if God should, by marvelous over- 
turning in this land of hoary tradition, shake 
the country to its foundations ; it would not be 
surprising if European nations should yet get a 
foothold here, and perhaps divide the country 
among themselves to the great advantage of all 
the interests of civilization, humanity, and Chris- 
tianity. 

The Massacres. — Just at the time of this 
visit all Europeans in the East were terribly 
bitter against China because of the Satanic Kn- 
cheng massacre. Nine of the missionary band 
were killed outright, and two died afterward, 
while four more were cut and hacked by spears 
and tridents. This was not a sudden outbreak 



256 AROUND THE WORLD 

of spasmodic ferocity against the foreigner ; it 
was rather a deliberately planned and desper- 
ately wicked attempt to work a hellish cruelty 
on innocent foreigners. It was in no small part 
another "slaughter of the innocents." The 
missionaries gave absolutely no provocation. 
America and Great Britain have been too lenient 
with China. She has sent cultured gentlemen 
to represent her in London and Washington, and 
the governments of both countries have judged 
the nation by these representatives. 

It will not do for our countries to allow China 
to punish a few hired coolies who were at most 
only the less guilty instruments in the barbarity ; 
the real authors must be found and punished. 
China must be made to feel that she cannot trifle 
with Britain and America, cannot trifle with the 
civilization of this century. She must be made 
to feel the only power which she is capable of 
feeling. We have too often treated her as if she 
were fully civilized, and she has too often taught 
us that, in important respects, she is still wholly 
barbaric. I have no sympathy with the remark 
I am constantly hearing, " China is not worth 
saving," neither have I sympathy with a sickly 
sentimentalism which refuses to hold China up 
to the scorn of the world and to the hand of 
justice for her crimes. 

The Chinese fled like sheep before the Japa- 
nese soldiers ; but, though cowards then, they 
became wonderfully brave when, as bullies and 
murderers, they attacked helpless women and 
children. They have earned the contempt of 



MORE ABOUT CHINA 257 

the world. The gospel of Christ can save even 
China and make her future a thousand-fold more 
resplendent than her traditional and wonderful 
past. The influences of the gospel are her only- 
hope ; only these will break up the conservatism 
of centuries and lead China out into the highway 
of prosperity among the civilized nations. Di- 
vine providence is already using the war with 
Japan to show China the inferiority of her 
ancient and heathen civilization in comparison 
to that of the great Christian European nations. 

Leaving Hong Kong. — From Hong Kong 
pathways over the sea radiate in many direc- 
tions ; from this point the traveler may take 
ship to any country on the globe, may start to 
" all the ends of the earth " — Singapore, Penang, 
Java, Sumatra, Ceylon, Australia, New Zealand, 
the great tropical realm of the South Sea, all 
parts of India and Burma, with their cities of 
Madras, Calcutta, Bombay, and Rangoon, and 
other cities and countries too numerous to men- 
tion. These all lie before the traveler, and the 
particular places he may wish to visit will deter- 
mine his route from this point or from Colombo. 
What a new world opens to the imagination as 
these new quarters of the globe are suggested ! 
How real the old names of boyhood's geography 
become when you are actually at some of the 
places and are heading for others which hitherto 
had a name, but only an ill-defined local habita- 
tion ! 

On Thursday, August 15, at one o'clock, we 



258 AROtTND THE WORLD 

left Hong Kong for Singapore, Penang, and 
Colombo, on board the good steamer " Kaisar-i- 
Hind," of the P. & O. S. N. Co. This ship was 
named in honor of Queen Victoria, bearing her 
latest title, " Kaisar-i-Hind," which, being inter- 
preted, means " Empress of India." When 
launched, in 1878, it was probably the largest 
ship afloat ; it was the yacht of the P. & O. fleet ; 
since then some P. & O. ships, and many of 
other lines, have been built which are larger and 
much finer. But she is still a noble ship and 
worthy of the honor which the queen conferred 
by visiting and naming her when she was 
launched. Her able commander was Captain 
Frank H. Seymour, who had been many years 
in the P. & O. service, and for the last ten years 
commander of different ships belonging to this 
great company. Captain Seymour is not only 
an able seaman, but an intelligent, genial, and 
courteous gentleman. He did everything in his 
power to make this trip pleasant and profitable. 
All passengers holding through tickets are 
guests of the line in any harbor from the time 
of their arrival on one ship to the time of their 
departure on another, if they remain on board. 
In harmony with this rule, two gentlemen, one 
for Penang and one for Colombo, were transferred, 
with the writer, in the company's steam launch 
from the "Verona" to the "Kaisar-i-Hind." So 
were a family occupying the second cabin, who 
were returning to Australia. Of course, when we 
left the ship to go sight-seeing, we ourselves had 
to provide for our entertainment. 



MORE ABOUT CHINA 259 

Four young English midshipmen came on 
board at Hong Kong ; they had been on the 
warship " Leander " and had been ordered back 
to England to be transferred to another branch 
of the naval service. They proved to be agree- 
able young men as fellow-passengers. A young 
Chinaman was also a passenger ; he evidently 
belonged to some one of the better classes of his 
countrymen. Not being able to speak English, 
and taking his meals in his cabin, he must have 
had a somewhat lonely trip, but he seemed to be 
sufficiently happy in his Chinese reading and 
in his characteristic seclusion. Some additional 
second cabin passengers came on board at Hong 
Kong, but at this season of the year, in this lati- 
tude, it is expected that travel will be light. 
We had not even one lady passenger in the first 
cabin, neither had we had since Bishop Walden 
and his party left us at Nagasaki. Passengers 
in the second cabin are more fortunate. This 
ship was to sail from Bombay, October 5, for 
London, reaching "home" about the end of that 
month. By that time Captain Seymour and the 
other officers would have been absent from their 
families about one year. Certainly these long 
absences, and occasionally they are considerably 
longer, make the lives of seamen in the Orient 
anything but enviable. 

Orientals Aboard. — Some of the waiters on 
board the "Kaisar" were an interesting group. 
They were Goanese, the descendants of Portu- 
guese adventurers, who settled about two hun- 



260 AROUND THE WORLD 

dred miles from Bombay and married native 
women. Their descendants have intermarried, 
so that the two original lines have been many- 
times crossed and recrossed. They are still Ro- 
manists in faith, that faith having been trans- 
planted by their Portuguese ancestors to the soil 
of their Indian home, and they still possess char- 
acteristics of speech and manner inherited from 
their Portuguese fathers and their Indian moth- 
ers. A partially corrupted Portuguese language 
is spoken by them ; the Indian is spoken also, 
so is the Goanese, which is in part a mixture 
of the other two tongues. Many of them now 
speak English. In their dark jackets and white 
trousers they look tidy, and they render prompt 
and efficient service. 

During my last two voyages my cabin stew- 
ards were Chinamen, and there was no fault to 
be found with their conduct or service. But it 
was nevertheless an agreeable change on this 
boat to have for cabin steward a young Scotch- 
man with the suggestive name of MacDonald. 
On the whole it is a name preferable to Ah Sin 
or Wong Lung. There surely is no serious ob- 
jection to having a steward who can fully under- 
stand and be fully understood. 

Our sailors were the most picturesque sailors 
I have ever seen ; they were in this respect — 
perhaps in all respects — a great improvement 
on the Chinamen who were the sailors on my 
last two ocean trips. The dull colors and un- 
sightly shapes of their ill-fitting and nondescript 
garments, not to mention undesirable qualities 



MORE ABOUT CHINA 26l 

in their persons, contrast greatly to the disad- 
vantage of the Chinese, with the bright colors, 
tidy outfit, and alert movements of the Lascars, 
who were the sailors on the " Kaisar." It is ad- 
mitted, however, that the Chinese when properly 
officered make competent, faithful, and even 
brave sailors. 

The word Lascar properly signifies a "camp 
follower," but is now generally applied to native 
sailors on British ships. They often are the 
descendants of a race of pirates. They inherit 
a love for the sea; they also inherit daring, 
skill, and endurance ; but they are naturally 
irritable and of a revengeful nature. Their 
appearance is very striking. They are of aver- 
, age height, or a little over, are slenderly built, 
erect and alert, and are wiry, merry fellows to 
an unusual degree. They attract immediate 
attention as one comes on board ; and they 
evoke appreciation as one studies their sea-going 
qualities. Dressed in a cap of straw, partially 
covered by a bright red turban, with a long white 
or blue garment over white trousers, a red, or 
yellow and red handkerchief as a sash, and with 
bare brown feet, they are truly picturesque. 
Many nations of the East love bright colors, and 
many of them show unique taste in their combi- 
nation of colors. The bare feet of the sailors 
admirably fit them for climbing ropes and stand- 
ing in dangerous places. Their feet grip almost 
as readily as their hands ; they are almost an- 
other pair of hands. Even when attending to 
the routine duties of sailors they have a firmness 



262 AROUND THE WORLD 

of step, erectness of carriage, and dignity of gen- 
eral deportment most pleasing to observe. 

Formerly there were sailing ships manned by 
these natives in which their youth were trained 
for more important service ; but now the P. & 
O. Company takes the boys into its service and 
trains them for the various positions which they 
show ability to fill. The sailors on board come 
from different places in the northern part of 
India. That great country is destined in many 
ways to fill a large place in the commerce and 
general business of the world. All countries 
with an extensive seaboard train sailors. 



XXII 

SINGAPORE 

WHEN one has to spend fourteen days on 
the same steamer he rightly takes pains 
in the selection of his cabin. On this voyage 
the number of passengers was so small for a 
large ship that great latitude was allowed in 
choosing a cabin. Indeed, the privilege was 
granted the writer to change his cabin as he de- 
sired so as to avoid sun and spray and to secure 
the greatest degree of air and coolness. 

A Floating Home. — The cabin chosen was 
spacious ; reasonably large for four, it was agree- 
ably roomy for one. Upon taking possession of 
it for so long a trip there was the natural desire 
to make it as homelike as possible. Garments 
were shaken out and hung up ; " penates " and 
" genii " in the form of family pictures and 
favorite books were displayed, and so the voyage 
over the China Sea and the gulf of Siam was 
begun. 

Five days after we left Hong Kong the rug- 
ged shores of the Malay Peninsula came in sight 
as we plowed through the placid waters for 
Singapore, which we would soon reach. The 
days had been very pleasant. Sitting on the 

263 



264 AROUND THE WORLD 

spacious quarterdeck, under the awning, which 
protected from the sun but admitted the breeze, 
it was difficult to realize that we were out on the 
China Sea and not on the piazza of a first-class 
seashore hotel. 

There was much time for reading. Light but 
good literature received attention, literature 
which at home, it is felt, must be for the most 
part set aside. But no student can afford to 
neglect the great authors. No musician can 
afford to hear only second-class music ; he must 
study and hear the great masters. So we must 
read the great masters of prose and poetry. 
There ought to be, and there was on this trip, 
the reading of almost daily portions from Shakes- 
peare, Tennyson, and other immortal writers. 
There was time for writing also ; several news- 
paper letters were written on board different 
ships. There was time for meditation on God 
and duty. In our busy, work-a-day lives there is 
far too little opportunity for quiet and fruitful 
meditation. There was also planning for many 
forms of aggressive work. Sitting by my cabin 
porthole, not the ordinary port, but one nearly 
two feet square, watching the quiet sea, great 
thoughts of work pressed on mind and heart, 
but rest, genuine rest, was experienced. In such 
an experience lines of weariness go out of the 
face, ozone fills the lungs, iron the blood, courage 
the will, and gratitude the heart. 

Half-way Around the World. — At 8 p. m. 
Monday, August 19, 4 i2 r north latitude, 106 



SINGAPORE 265 

east longitude, I was just half around the world 
from New York as the starting-point. During 
all this journey there had not been a moment of 
sickness, not really a moment of discomfort ; the 
oft-dreaded mal de mer had not been experienced 
even in the slightest degree ; not a connection 
had been missed, and not a disappointment ex- 
perienced. Kind friends abounded and the good- 
ness of God in a thousand ways had been mani- 
fested. In such circumstances even an ingrate 
might be grateful. None of the fears entertained 
by solicitous friends regarding the possibility of 
typhoons in the China Sea, although there was 
one the week before I sailed, nor regarding the 
expected great heat, were realized. At this point 
we were out of the China Sea and out of the 
gulf of Siam, and typhoons were not expected. 

We were only a few degrees north of the 
equator, and yet in the evening, while walking 
on the deck, a reasonably heavy coat was not un- 
comfortable. We passed through the seas where 
waterspouts are occasionally seen, and had this 
journey been made in December with a north- 
east monsoon behind us, instead of in August 
with the wind' in the opposite quarter, we might 
have been gratified with the sight of one while 
running off the gulf of Siam ; but obliging 
though Captain Seymour was, he had to draw 
the line at the waterspout. 

It certainly was deeply interesting to realize 
that the Philippine Islands were off on our left, 
that Borneo was on our port bow, and that as we 
neared the equatorial line the ship was headed 



266 AROUND THE WORLD 

for the mouth of the straits lying between the 
Malay Peninsula and the island of Sumatra. We 
were thus, with quiet seas, open ports, and glad 
hearts, nearing Singapore, the most southerly 
point of Asia. 

The Capital of the Straits Settle- 
ments. — Singapore is situated at the mouth of 
the Malacca Straits. On the charts another 
point is called the most southerly point of Asia, 
Singapore being an island and not reckoned in 
that classification as if it were on the mainland ; 
but Singapore is nevertheless really the most 
southerly point of Asia. The great majority of 
ships to and from the East touch at Singapore. 
This fact gives importance to this place. Much 
cargo is taken on and put off here ; it is also an 
important coaling station for steamers following 
various routes to and from the East. Singapore 
is separated from the mainland by a strait per- 
haps not more than a quarter of a mile wide. 
The approach to the harbor is very picturesque ; 
many islands are scattered about it, thickly 
wooded and rising from the sea in rounded 
hills. 

As we came to the wharf our steamer was 
quickly surrounded by Malay boys in boats 
which were the merest shells ; only those skilled 
in the management of them could remain in 
them for even a few minutes without capsizing. 
The boys were on their knees and propelled 
their little boats with paddles. Soon they were 
calling out in broken English : 



SINGAPORE 267 

" Have a dive ? dive for a rupee, for twenty 
cents, for ten, for five, for a penny. Fire away ! 
a penny, a penny ! Come, now ! Here's a dive, 
a big dive ! " 

Coins were thrown into the water by a num- 
ber of passengers, and immediately there was a 
great splash, the boats were all emptied, and the 
boys were struggling and plunging in the water. 
Sometimes all of them were out of sight. Then 
they emerged, one of them triumphantly hold- 
ing the coin in his teeth. Most deftly would 
they put one hand in the center of the boat, and 
then with a spring they would again be in their 
places in the boat, again repeating their calls 
and their dives as often as coin was thrown into 
the sea. Sometimes they would utter their cries 
loudly and entreatingly in a sort of rude chorus. 
This they kept up at times as long as the steamer 
remained at the wharf, and when it was about to 
sail the next day they came in larger numbers 
and produced greater clamor. Their brother 
divers of the Hawaiian Islands are equally ex- 
pert as swimmers and divers, but they did not 
use boats in harvesting their pennies, being 
able to remain often for hours in the water sim- 
ply by using their hands and feet. Other boats 
containing parrots and other birds of brilliant 
plumage, and still other boats with beautiful 
shells, came alongside of the steamer, soliciting 
us to make purchases. 

A ride was taken with Captain Seymour into 
the town of Singapore, which is about three 
miles from the boat-land i 115-. We were drawn 



268 AROUND THE WORLD 



over the smooth road by a very little horse, 
which seemed too small to perform this task, 
but the carriage, though large, was light, and 
the road was excellent. Evidences that we were 
in a tropical climate abounded on both sides of 
the road. There were luxuriant palm trees of 
many species, some of them laden with cocoa- 
nuts and other fruits of the palm family ; there 
were hedges of growing rattans, neatly clipped ; 
and there were groves of bananas and other tropi- 
cal fruits. 

We observed that the houses, some of them 
large and somewhat pretentious, and occupied 
by European and other officials, and occasionally 
by Parsees, were built on piles and raised a con- 
siderable distance above the ground. This is 
done as a protection against snakes, scorpions, 
spiders, lizards, and other kinds of poisonous 
vermin ; in the earlier days perhaps protection 
against the then dreaded tiger was another reason. 
One learns in visiting many countries that local 
peculiarities are usually founded on good reasons. 

L<arge numbers of carts drawn by little hump- 
shouldered oxen, and laden with boxes and bales 
from the steamer, were passed on the road. 
These oxen were like the sacred cattle which 
the small boy has so often admired at the circus 
or the menagerie. A cord is passed through the 
cartilage of the nose, and to it reins are attached 
with which the animals are driven. Their 
horns, for the most part, slope back at an angle 
of about forty-five degrees, and are often painted 
blue, and sometimes in different colors, forming 



SINGAPORE 269 



some sort of a design. They, like the little 
horses, are spirited creatures, and when driven 
singly in harness, as they occasionally are, will 
go along at a lively trot. In Japan oxen are 
shod with shoes made of rice straw ; but in Sin- 
gapore they are shod with neat iron shoes. They 
have often bells about their heads, and occasion- 
ally a bit of ornament in bright colors. 

Their drivers are mostly Malays or Tamils, 
with scarlet turbans and a piece of bright red 
cloth about their bodies ; the few clothes they 
wear are of the brightest colors. They wear 
more clothing than do the Japanese coolies, and 
the bright colors make them much more pictur- 
esque. It was a pleasure to see oxen and 
horses so much in use in Singapore. In Japan 
and China men are made beasts of burden. Man- 
hood there is cheaper than cattle. It is a step 
up in civilization when cattle and not men are 
made beasts of burden. In China man is brutal- 
ized by doing the work of a brute ; so in part, 
but not to so great a degree, in Japan. 

The houses in the town proper are substan- 
tial structures of brick or of coarse plaster. 
The latter are covered with a blue or yellow 
lime-wash which gives a very striking appear- 
ance, though perhaps in combination of colors 
not very aesthetic. All the shops are largely 
open to the street ; their floors are of terra cotta, 
and they all have arcades, or, as they are called 
here, verandas, over the walk. One can thus 
walk from shop to shop protected from the heat 
of the sun. 



270 AROUND THE WORLD 

The Chinese Again. — Chinamen abound 
here, as there are no restrictions upon their com- 
ing. Their shops are numerous. Chinamen are 
in banks and business offices ; they carry heavy 
loads through the streets ; and they run with the 
clumsy jinrikishas. The Chinese are a patient, 
plodding, industrious population. They con- 
tribute in no small degree to the prosperity of 
Singapore, and many other places along this ex- 
tended coast. Let us give them credit for their 
industry. 

Here, as in the Hawaiian Islands, they are 
crowding the natives to the wall. They are 
always in a hurry, as you see them on the street. 
They have an object ; they are here to make 
money, and then to go home to live in ease and 
honor. The natives are the idle children of 
nature ; more than sufficient to them is the work 
of the day, and they care nothing for the mor- 
row. The Chinaman will do the work of to-day, 
and will soon lay up sufficient money for many 
to-morrows. A cold climate and an inhospitable 
soil seem necessary to call out the highest energy 
of most men. Nature, when too generous with 
her gifts of fruits and fertility, makes her chil- 
dren lazy, thriftless, and comparatively worth- 
less. 

Chinese women were seen hobbling about with 
deformed feet. They are pitiable creatures. 
They walk simply on the heel, not really walk, 
but only " peg " about, looking as if at any mo- 
ment they might topple over. Some assist them- 
selves with a cane, and some require help from 



SINGAPORE 271 

others ; they cannot move their ankle or knee 
joints, but only the joints of the thigh. Per- 
haps the idea is that ladies of quality shall not 
walk at all. Some were seen riding behind 
closely-drawn curtains. Tourists rarely see any 
women of the higher walks in social life, and 
that fact ought always to be borne in mind when 
judgment is passed in these Oriental countries 
on the women whom the traveler sees in public. 

Peddlers go through the streets selling soup, 
fruit, and a jelly made from seaweed, and called 
" agar agar" ; they sometimes have on one end 
of the pole on their shoulders a sort of stove to 
cook the food, and on the other end a kind of 
table, and they supply, for about two cents, a 
meal to the coolies who coal the ships and to the 
drivers of the oxen. In the market a great 
variety of fruits and vegetables was seen ; among 
the fruits was the delicious mangosteen, which 
Mr. Ballou calls " the seductive apple of the 
East." He tells us that it is not found indige- 
nous in any other country. 

The Botanical Garden is spoken of as con- 
taining a remarkable collection of tropical fruits 
and flowers. There is a good museum and a 
valuable public library. The Anglican Church 
has its cathedral, and the Presbyterian, Metho- 
dist, and Dutch Churches have organizations 
and mission stations. Most of the Malays are 
Mohammedans. The Tamils are almost as dark 
as Negroes, but without the very thick lip and 
the flat nose. 

Singapore is a busy and prosperous place. 



272 AROUND THE WORLD 

Europeans of many countries are here pushing 
their fortunes, and many of thein are attached 
to the town and the island. It is about thirty 
miles long and half as many broad, and its 
population is said to be about one hundred and 
fifty thousand. Its productions are varied, among 
them being tapioca, cocoanut oil, gambier, tin, 
indigo, tiger skins, coral, gutta percha, camphor, 
and other things characteristic of tropical re- 
gions. 

In former days tigers were the great foe of 
the people, and to some extent it is still so. 
They swim across the straits from the mainland, 
hide in the thick jungles, and then prey on the 
people living on the plantations. Until the 
jungles are removed, the island will not be free 
from the depredations of this fierce animal. 
The word Singapore, most probably of Sanskrit 
origin, means " Iyiontown " ; but in later days 
the terror of the natives has been the tiger. 
Some years ago statistics show that not fewer 
than three hundred persons yearly, out of a 
population of one hundred and ninety thousand, 
were destroyed by tigers. Pits have been dug 
in which many of them have been caught, and 
as the island is more fully cleared and inhabited 
they become rarer. 

Tropical Heat. — The people who live in 
Singapore speak of it as being a healthful place. 
Soft and fragrant breezes blow from the spice- 
bearing fields of the surrounding islands. It is 
the home of many kinds of beautiful birds, 



SINGAPORE 273 



many varieties of insects, and many specimens 
of rare shells. It is the best place in the world 
in which to make collections of butterflies. One 
writer calls attention to the fact that "the great 
green-winged ornithoptera, the prince of the 
butterfly tribe," abounds here; and that an en- 
thusiastic German naturalist had collected within 
a month over three hundred remarkable speci- 
mens of beetles within a space of two miles from 
the center of the town. 

Here there is no winter, no autumn ; it is un- 
changing summer. No sooner does a leaf fall 
than another bud appears, and thus nature, 
month after month, lavishes her gifts upon her 
children in Singapore. This town is only about 
eighty miles north of the equator ; it ought, 
therefore, to be very hot ; and it certainly is not 
an Arctic region. We did not wear heavy ul- 
sters ; but neither was it very hot. Against this 
place, more than any other, were warnings 
given. Here, it was said, Europeans were well- 
nigh roasted ; here there could be no protection 
against the sun's scorching rays. Well, this 
writer walked not less than four miles in or 
from Singapore, when returning to the steamer, 
on Wednesday, August 21, at noon, and suffered 
not one moment's inconvenience. Monday fore- 
noon, June 3, in New York, it was ever so many 
degrees hotter and ever so much more trying in 
every way. 

There is a positive gain to Americans, who 
are accustomed to great summer heat at home, 
in visiting tropical countries in summer. They 



274 AROUND THE WORIyD 

find the atmosphere just about the same as at 
home if they come in summer ; but if they come 
in winter they have had the enervating effects of 
summer at home and they find summer here, and 
on going home they have summer again. They 
thus have three summers following one another ; 
and coming to Singapore, for instance, in De- 
cember and finding the thermometer about 
ninety, there is a depressing sense of contrast 
which makes the heat almost intolerable. The 
opinion just expressed is as original as it is 
paradoxical ; but it is as honest, and judging 
from the writer's experience, as intelligent as it 
is honest or paradoxical. Most writers who 
have expatiated on the great heat of these trop- 
ical countries compare them with parts of Ger- 
many and Great Britain and not with New 
York, Chicago, and other parts of America. 

Large numbers of Europeans, mostly British, 
as well as natives, came down to see the ship go 
out on Wednesday, August 21, at 4 p. m. It is 
thoroughly pleasant when in the Bast to be un- 
der the British flag, and to see the faces and to 
hear the voices of robust men and fair women 
speaking one's vernacular. Britain purchased 
Singapore from the sultan of Johore, Malay 
Peninsula, as early as 1819, so that to-day in all 
parts of Singapore, Chinese, Malay, and Euro- 
pean quarters alike, Britain rules. Again and 
again one is reminded of the great wisdom of 
the British government in maintaining a line of 
outposts to her vast Indian possessions ; of this 
point mention will be made later. 



SINGAPORE 275 

There was much in Singapore to remind one 
of the Hawaiian Islands — palms of many kinds, 
including fan-palm, the bread-fruit tree, dates, 
figs, mangols, bananas, flowers, and people. But 
in wealth, beauty, and charm of fruit and flower, 
shrub and tree, mountain and valley, atmosphere 
and people, the Hawaiian Islands are as sunlight 
to moonlight when compared to Singapore. 
They are likely to be peerless, even when com- 
pared with " Ceylon's isle." 



XXIII 

PENANG AND CEYLON 

FROM Hong Kong to Singapore we sailed 
to the south and slightly westward. On 
Monday, August 19, at 8 p. m., as already indi- 
cated, we were exactly half-around the world in 
longitude, but at Singapore we distinctly turned 
the corner, if one may so speak. Now we were 
heading for home, now every throb of the engine 
was carrying us nearer to those who are dearest. 
Optically also, as a glance at the map shows, this 
fact was evident. It was found at times exceed- 
ingly difficult to keep our geographical position 
in mind. All a Western traveler's usual rela- 
tions to the countries he has been accustomed to 
call Eastern countries are entirely changed when 
he is in the far East. To us, where we are now 
sailing, Beluchistan, Afghanistan, Persia, Arabia, 
Africa, Egypt, Palestine, and all Europe are 
Western lands. This was a fact extremely diffi- 
cult of realization. To be east of these lands 
was a peculiar sensation. To dwellers in Cathay 
the Levant seems almost to be Europe. 

At 4 p. m., on Wednesday, August 21, we left 
Singapore for Penang. The trip was truly de- 
lightful. The sea was emerald ; its ripples were 
liquid gems. Islands for a time rose up from the 
276 



PENANG AND CEYLON 277 



placid waters and stood on each side like mighty 
sentinels. Spice-laden breezes fanned our cheeks ; 
heart and lungs rejoiced in the soft, healing, and 
soothing atmosphere. There was no oppressive 
heat ; indeed, on the quarter-deck, in the even- 
ing, the air was almost too cool for comfort, 
dressed, as we were, in light clothing. This fact 
also is difficult of realization when one remem- 
bers that we were only a few miles north of the 
equator. Of course, any exertion would readily 
give the sensation of heat, but exertion being 
absent, there was not a moment of discomfort 
because of high temperature. Perhaps this was 
an exceptionally cool season ; one is certainly 
inclined so to believe as he remembers the charm- 
ing accounts which he has heard and read re- 
garding the heat of these equatorial regions. 
The captain said it was an exceptional season. 
This writer can speak only according to his per- 
sonal experience. 

Penang. — After a run of thirty-six hours, 
Penang was reached. This was once called 
Prince of Wales Island, or Pulo Pinang, or Betel- 
nut Island. Here we remained seven hours, 
time enough, however, to see most that is dis- 
tinctive in Penang. This is the most northerly 
seaport of the Malacca Straits. A glance at the 
captain's chart showed that we had been running 
northwest since leaving Singapore, and that Pe- 
nang is where the straits open into the Indian 
Ocean. Somewhat more than one hundred miles 
southwest lies the island of Sumatra, farther 



278 AROUND THE WORLD 

south and east are Borneo and Java, and to the 
north is Bangkok, Tavoy, Moulmein, and Ran- 
goon, these last four places being so full of in- 
terest in connection with our missionary work. 

The shores of Penang are well wooded ; hills 
rise until, inland, they become mountain ranges 
of considerable size. Penang is separated from 
the mainland by a narrow strait, forming an 
island thirteen miles long and five to ten miles 
wide. Its location, as well as its productions, 
make it a valuable port. 

The areca palm, sometimes called the Penang 
tree, gives its name to the island. This tree is 
the source of the betel nut, which is cut up and 
wrapped in a leaf of the same tree, to which is 
added a small quantity of quicklime, and some- 
times a little tobacco, and the preparation is 
vigorously chewed by the natives. The chew- 
ing gives their teeth and lips the color of blood. 
The quid lasts about half an hour, and in many 
cases it is frequently renewed. It is said to be a 
powerful tonic. The habit of chewing it is well- 
nigh universal among the lower classes of Asi- 
atics. In some parts of India, it is said that 
pepper and cardamon seeds are added to the 
mixture, and when so prepared, it is believed 
to be a partial antidote to malarial influences. 
While in Colombo, I heard that a few days be- 
fore a native had been fined five rupees for expec- 
torating this juice on the walls of the Colombo 
post office. If we had in America a similar law 
against the habit of expectorating tobacco juice 
on floors and walls of public buildings, it would 



PENANG AND CEYLON 279 

be considered a benediction by thousands of long- 
suffering citizens. 

In 1786 Captain Francis Light, an English 
sea captain, married the daughter of the king of 
Queda, and received this island as her marriage 
portion from her father. Then the town con- 
sisted of but a few Malay fishermen. He trans- 
ferred the island to the East India Compan}-, and 
he was retained as superintendent and the king 
received six thousand dollars annually. The 
island has since greatly increased in population 
and in commercial importance. The town con- 
sists of one broad street intersected by other 
streets at right angles. Its productions are very 
similar to those of Singapore. Here, as there, the 
Chinese abound, and here, as there, they domi- 
nate the natives. The natives are slight, but 
often tall and straight. They are, for the most 
part, indolent, shiftless, and nearly unclad. They 
are the thoughtless children of nature. There 
are no domestic relations, as such are understood 
among truly civilized and Christianized people. 
The moral life of the people it is not necessary 
to characterize. 

Birds of the most gorgeous colors are every- 
where seen. Butterflies of great size and bril- 
liant hues are numerous. This is a land of 
perpetual summer. The cocoanut tree, in its 
abundant and varied productions, is a constant 
marvel. Well might the old Asiatic poets sing 
of the three hundred and sixty uses which its 
trunk, branches, leaves, fruit, and juice could 
subserve. From the bud of one variety is ex- 



28o AROUND THE WORLD 

tracted a liquor called sarce, which, when fresh, 
is cool and wholesome, but which may become 
highly intoxicating. Penang will long live ill 
the memory as a picture of a land where nature is 
so indulgent to her children that they have never 
developed the nobler possibilities of manhood. 
Better the sterile soil and the chilling tempera- 
tures which make robust men ; these conditions 
have developed the races that are to be masters 
of the world. 

On the Indian Ocean. — At n a. m., Friday, 
August 23, we sailed from Penang for Colombo, 
nearly one thousand three hundred miles away, 
full of anxiety to hasten forward. More than 
half the journey around the world has been ac- 
complished, so far as distance is concerned, and 
about half the time allotted for this trip has been 
passed ; but what remains to be seen in India, in 
Egypt, in Palestine, in Athens, and in Constan- 
tinople is, in many respects, so vastly more im- 
portant than what has been seen, that we are 
conscious of an ambition to hasten forward. For 
a little time after leaving Penang our course was 
slightly northward, but soon it lay due west 
across the Indian Ocean, on a line of about the 
sixth degree of north latitude. This particular 
part of the trip had been dreaded even before 
leaving home, and was entered upon with min- 
gled fear and hope. 

For a time the good ship " Kaisar-i-Hind " 
plowed her way through smooth seas and under 
a clear sky. The air was soft and balmy ; the 



PENANG AND CEYLON 28l 

nights were serene and bright. Passengers de- 
lighted in reclining or walking on the deck, 
watching the phosphorescent waters, the cloud- 
less skies, and the gleaming stars. We seemed 
almost to be in fairyland, floating in a phantom 
ship between the fleecy clouds above and their 
reflected and chastened beauty beneath. But 
after a few days, a moderate southwest monsoon 
suddenly struck us and it soon changed the 
spirit of our dreams. It made the decks sug- 
gestively silent and caused an occasional vacant 
place at the table. The wind whistled and 
howled, the waves hissed and moaned, the ship 
rolled and plunged, but grandly forged ahead 
through darkness and storm. 

On Wednesday, August 28, at 5 a. m., we were 
in the harbor at Colombo. Near us in the har- 
bor were two other P. & O. boats, the " Malta " 
and the "Himalaya," bound for "home"; there 
was a German man-of-war, and there were also 
several other steamers of various lines. As a 
matter of course, several passengers repeated 
second-hand jokes about "Ceylon's isle," where 
"every prospect pleases, and only man is vile." 
I had promised myself not to quote these words 
and so to do something original and heroic, and 
they are given now only as quoted by others. 

We were up early this morning, although 
early rising is not a feature of life on shipboard 
when coffee, as a part of chota-hazri, is served at 
seven in the berth, followed by a nap, and break- 
fast is at nine ; but letters were expected this 
morning as soon as some of the officers could 



282 AROUND THE WORLD 

return from the P. & O. office. Soon the cabin 
steward came to my cabin with a package, and 
a hasty look showed on two bulky letters a 
specimen of chirography which for more than 
a quarter of a century has not failed to produce 
a little throb somewhere in the vicinity of the 
pericardium. There was news which made the 
heart very glad and some which made it equally 
sad. It will not be denied that there was a time 
of great loneliness as the realization of the thou- 
sands of miles of distance from family, church, 
and country pressed upon mind and heart. 

A Dilemma. — But plans of travel had to be 
considered. Inquiry revealed the fact that there 
was no P. & O. steamer here for Calcutta and 
that there would be none for two weeks. This 
possibility was known before leaving New York, 
but it was said, while coming from Hong Kong 
to Colombo, that there would almost certainly 
be a steamer here on our arrival. What course 
was it best to adopt? One could profitably spend 
two weeks, if he had plenty of time, on the island 
of Ceylon, but two weeks here would lead to a 
delay of three weeks on the trip because of the 
unavoidable loss of other connections. There 
was a tramp steamer soon to leave for Calcutta, 
but its speed was slow and its accommodations 
were poor ; that was, therefore, rejected. 

It was possible to get a steamer soon for Tuti- 
corin, the extreme point of Southern India. 
This plan had something in its favor. It would 
give the opportunity of seeing this town, once 



PENANG AND CEYLON 283 

famous for its pearl fisheries, and now a sample 
of an utterly sleepy and forsaken place ; of seeing 
Madura, one hundred miles farther north, famous 
for its ancient pagoda, supported by two thousand 
stone columns ; of seeing Trichinopoly, another 
one hundred miles northward, famous for its 
varied manufactures, and interesting as the place 
where Bishop Heber was drowned in 1826, while 
bathing, and where he is buried ; of seeing Tan- 
jore, a large fortified city, with its ancient palace 
with lofty towers, — formerly that of the late 
rajah, — with its large gilded car of Juggernaut, 
and with its magnificent pagoda, fourteen stories 
high, so familiar in engravings and carvings, with 
its gigantic figure of a reclining bull, hewn from 
a single block of black granite ; of seeing Ma- 
dras, with its'varied attractions, and then on to 
Calcutta. Of all these places there had been 
much careful reading and their attractions were 
familiar, and so they entered into the decision 
which had to be made. But the thought of the 
distances to be traveled, the heat to be probably 
experienced, and the poor hotel accommodations 
to be endured led to the rejection of this possi- 
bility. 

It was learned also that, by putting forth great 
energy, Colombo, and also Kandy, could be seen 
with reasonable thoroughness, and the trip to 
Bombay could be taken by remaining on board 
the "Kaisar-i-Hind," and then crossing India by 
railway, in three nights and two days, from 
Bombay to Calcutta. This route was selected. 
This plan necessitated hard traveling and cross- 



284 AROUND THE WORLD 

ing Northern India twice, but the journey would 
be made by different routes and so more of the 
northern part of the country would be seen, 
traveling in which, even in midsummer, not 
being specially uncomfortable. 

Can sufficient courage be summoned to see 
Ceylon before the steamer leaves? It remains 
thirty-three hours. A part of the work can be 
done ; a part at least will be done. The resolu- 
tion was made, but it must be confessed that 
the flesh was somewhat refractory, although the 
spirit was very ambitious. One cannot help 
having some sympathy with the schoolboy who 
was sorry that he had not lived two thousand 
years ago so that he would not have so much 
history to learn. So one almost wishes that he 
had lived when the world of travel was smaller 
and when there were fewer objects of interest to 
see. But as I am deliberately attempting to do 
in less than six months what ought not to be 
attempted in less than nine months, perhaps, I 
must not complain, and must hasten to a pleas- 
urable, though a fatiguing, task ; there will be 
time enough for rest during the remainder of 
the voyage. 

The Island of Ceylon. — The island of Cey- 
lon is usually spoken of as the most beautiful 
spot in the world ; certainly its soil and climate 
are remarkable for their luxuriant production of 
almost every beautiful tree, shrub, and flower 
known to the tropics. In natural scenery it vies 
with any part of the world. As it rises from the 



penang And CEylon 285 

ocean, clothed with the rich luxuriousness of a 
tropical vegetation, it seems almost like an en- 
chanted island in dreamland. Its hills rise 
grandly until they are lost in mist and cloud. 
A sea of sapphire dashes against its rocks ; and 
the yellow strands are shaded by groves of noble 
palms. It resembles a pear in shape, but its 
natives more poetically compare it to one of their 
elongated pearls. It lies south of India, some- 
what as Madagascar lies south of Africa. Undu- 
lating plains cover about four parts and the fifth 
is covered by a mountain range, containing a 
group of mountains rising to eight thousand feet. 
The south side of the island is drained by ten 
rivers of considerable size. A fine breakwater 
has made the harbor of Colombo safe. This is 
a point of call for steamers coming from and 
going to all points of the world. The harbor is 
almost always full of vessels of nearly every na- 
tion in Europe. The island contains a little 
over twenty-five thousand square miles, and a 
population of three millions. 

The coast is hot, but it is comfortably cool 
among the mountains. The sea breezes pleas- 
antly moderate the heat, and the climate is not 
considered unhealthful for Europeans. The tem- 
perature is equable ; the average in Colombo is 
8o°. April is the hottest month. 

Comparatively few know of the antiquity of 
its history, the glory of its former civilization as 
evidenced by its buried cities, and the ethnic 
interest attaching to its primitive and later races. 
Here is an island where once, without doubt, 



286 AROUND THE WORLD 

there was a mighty empire ; here are marvelous 
remains of gigantic temples and magnificent 
palaces ; here are prehistoric monuments ; here 
are ruins of elaborate systems of irrigation ; here 
is a vast field of only partially explored remains, 
which for the next half-century will be the won- 
der and delight of learned antiquarians of all 
nations. 

Egyptians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, and 
Arabians traded with the ports of Ceylon. Many 
believe that this island was the Ophir of the 
Hebrews ; it certainly corresponds in its pre- 
cious stones and other forms of mineral wealth 
to the descriptions in the Bible of that land of 
precious gems. The gems of Ceylon have been 
celebrated from time immemorial. Sapphires, 
rubies, topaz, amethysts, cinnamon stone, cat's 
eye, and garnets are the principal gems and pre- 
cious stones of the island. The most valuable 
is the sapphire. In 1853 one was found worth 
twenty thousand dollars. The pearl fisheries are 
also famous. 

The traveler who judges the ancient Sinhalese 
— that is probably the better spelling — by the 
voluble venders of spurious gems met with in 
Kandy or Colombo, will do great injustice to a 
wonderful race and to his own reputation as an 
intelligent critic. Just now there is a revival of 
interest in this people and in their prehistoric 
monuments. The modern Sinhalese is certainly 
no fair representative of a people that could build 
a city of gigantic monoliths, carve a mountain 
into a graceful shrine, and adorn its monuments 



PENANG AND CEYLON 287 

with pillars and capitals not unworthy of Greek 
art in the days of its meridian glory. Of course 
this writer could not in his brief visit to the 
island, personally examine the remains of these 
buried cities, — the months of January and Feb- 
ruary are the time for that purpose, — but he has 
learned enough to start him on new lines of read- 
ing and thought, and he wishes to incite all his 
readers to pursue similar lines of inquiry. 

The Mahawanso. — The Sinhalese are not a 
literary nation ; they have not produced a single 
author of literary prominence. But they have 
given the world a series of chronicles of unim- 
peached authenticity which bring their history 
down from the earliest times to the last century. 
These chronicles are known as the " Mahawan- 
so," or " Genealogy of the Great " and Sir James 
Emerson Tenent, in his work on Ceylon, gives a 
full account of their character. They were 
begun by a Buddhist priest in a. d. 460, and his 
work covers the period from 543 b. c, when the 
Sinhalese first reached Ceylon, to A. d. 301. 
Various monastic successors of this priest have 
carried the work down to the time of the British 
rule. This says that in 543 b. c, Wijeyo, a son 
of one of the petty princes in the valley of the 
Ganges, and his Sinhalese followers landed in 
Ceylon and conquered the primitive peoples. 
The chronicles explain the name of the race by 
tracing it to Sinha, the word for a lion. 

Whatever of doubt may attach to these early 
chronicles, the monuments bear a testimony of 



2&8 Around The world 

their own. Who were the artists whose skill and 
taste cover such extensive areas ? Were they 
Sinhalese or Tamils ? Did these two ethnologi- 
cally distinct races become one race? Where 
did the vast stones come from ? How were they 
transported ? Were elephants employed to trans- 
port these great stones ? How were they raised 
to their positions without the aid of cranes or 
pulleys? Was the space filled with earth, an 
inclined plane formed, and the great masses thus 
placed in position ? Who can tell ? 

How were these great buildings brought to 
ruins ? Was it done by the iconoclastic zeal of 
the Tamils ? Or was it done by the roots of 
trees, by vines, by seeds ? Was it by some con- 
vulsion of nature? Or were there, as some 
believe, defects in the foundations of the great 
structures? What could have swept from the 
earth a population of millions ? Marvelous are 
these remains of carved pillars, great slabs, and 
crumbling columns. Back into the dim past 
they carry us. 

The antiquarian has not thus far been able to 
light the path with his lamp of learning. Here 
are the skeletons of a dead and buried past. 
Perhaps even before the pyramids or the sphinx 
existed a great race lived on Ceylon's beautiful 
isle. Who can tell ? How little even the most 
learned know ! How foolish to deny the teach- 
ings of revelation regarding the spiritual world, 
because of the supposed opposition of scientists, 
when they cannot explain prehistoric monu- 
ments of this material world. Ceylon is now a 



PENANG AND CEYLON 289 

crown colony ; it is ruled by a governor aided by 
executive and legislative councils ; most of the 
officials are British, but the natives are not ex- 
cluded from office. The government has opened 
roads, endowed colleges, aided missionaries, and 
in every way has striven to uplift the people. 

In 838 b. c, the Tamils established a king- 
dom in the northern part of Ceylon. In 1505 
the Portuguese first visited Ceylon and in 1518 
they acquired possessions. In 1658 the Dutch 
secured possession of the port. In 1796 the 
English got the island, and in 1815, with the fall 
of the Kandyan king, the last semblance of power 
on the part of the earlier rulers came into their 
hands. They promised not to interfere with the 
religion of the conquered people, and equal rights 
were guaranteed to all. whatever their race or 
religion. 

The Island People To-day. — The two chief 
races are the Sinhalese and the Tamils. These 
differ widely from each other. The Tamil, for 
a dweller in the Orient, is industrious and enter- 
prising. The Tamils largely people the northern 
part of the island ; there are also Tamil laborers 
in the cities all over the island. Often they 
speak English reasonably well, and occasionally 
they push into honorable offices. Although they 
have adopted the creed of Brahmanism, they have 
retained much of their old worship of demons. 
Devil temples are common among them. Caste is 
less powerful in Ceylon than in India. In Ceylon 
few of the Brahmans learn English ; others fill 



ZqO AROUND THE WORLD 

the positions requiring education. By the laws of 
Hinduism a Brahman who crosses the sea loses 
caste ; therefore, only Brahmans of inferior posi- 
tion or damaged reputation go to Ceylon. 

The Sinhalese are less vigorous and energetic 
than the Tamils. Few races in the world are so 
torpid, so dull, and so conscienceless. Climate 
and religion have done much to bring about this 
result. Nature here is too generous. Every 
want is provided by the gentleness of the climate 
and the fertility of the soil. Civilization is too 
simple to create artificial wants, and furnishes no 
ambition, no enterprise, no stimulus. Their re- 
ligion is a form of Buddhism ; but it has bor- 
rowed much from Hinduism. Temples to Hin- 
du gods exist by the side of those dedicated to 
Buddha. Among them, as among the Tamils, 
there is much of demon worship. Their priests 
are of inferior education and rely for influence 
among the people largely on the practice of 
medicine and astrology. 

Buddhism is the prevailing religion. The 
Mohammedans have many followers, who are 
called Moormen. The Veddahs, one of the most 
degraded races of mankind, are found in the 
island. In the interior are many Kandyans ; 
there are also Hindus, Malabrians, and natural- 
ized descendants of the old Dutch and Portuguese 
colonists along the coast. 

In dress and appearance the Sinhalese have 
remained unchanged since the days of Ptolemy. 
Their long hair is turned back from their fore- 
heads and is confined with combs ; they also 



PENANG AND CEYLON 291 



wear earrings. The women adorn themselves 
with an endless variety of necklaces, bangles, 
rings, and other forms of jewelry. Polyandry 
still lingers in the interior. One woman often 
has three or four husbands. 

For nearly four hundred years Ceylon has been 
mission ground, with three chief epochs. In 
Jaffna, in the north, isolated by the sea on the 
one side and trackless jungles, the Portuguese 
carried things with a high hand. They threat- 
ened, they cajoled, they promised, and the Roman 
Church was made the road to civil preferment. 

When the Dutch came into power the Portu- 
guese and the Romanists lost influence. Roman 
rites were forbidden, priests were banished, and 
converts to a form of Protestantism were num- 
bered by thousands. But it was not heart relig- 
ion, and the classis at Amsterdam condemned 
the methods which had been employed. This 
was mere government Christianity. 

The English period has been one of true mis- 
sion work. Baptists were the first Protestant 
body to enter the field. Mr. and Mrs. Chater ar- 
rived in 1 81 2, and for twenty-two years labored in 
Colombo. They were succeeded by Mr. Daniel, 
who labored for fourteen years. His name is 
held in high honor by the Sinhalese. In 1854 
the mission had reached one hundred and forty 
villages. To-day there are five missions, twenty- 
two native preachers, one thousand communi- 
cants and two thousand five hundred children in 
Sunday-schools. 

The Wesleyan Methodists came next. Theirs 



292 AROUND THE WORLD 

is indeed a marvelous story. Dr. Coke died on 
the way. In 1814 five men landed. To-day 
there are two thousand communicants and four 
thousand children in Sunday-schools. The 
American Board in 181 3 was represented in the 
person of Mr. Newell. Four missionaries from 
Boston arrived in 1815, and immediately began 
work. The Church of England began work in 
181 8. They opened schools and started printing 
presses. A knowledge of the English language 
was greatly desired. The Salvation Army, under 
Mr. Tucker, formerly a civil service officer in 
India, has sent workers to Ceylon. They have 
adopted the native food and dress of the Hindu 
mendicants ; but this is still an experiment. 



XXIV 

CITIES OF CEYLON. 

KANDY is about sixty miles from Colombo. 
Leaving- Colombo on the early morning 
train one could spend three hours in Kandy and 
be back in Colombo about seven in the evening. 
Kandy has been called the mountain capital of 
Ceylon. The name comes from the Sinhalese 
word kandy, which signifies a mountain. The 
elevation is one thousand seven hundred feet 
above the level of the sea. The road to Kandy 
has been in operation since 1867. 

The Trip To Kandy. — Soon after leaving 
Colombo the train passes through a succession of 
cinnamon groves, groups of cocoanut and betel 
palms, mango, jak, breadfruit, and various other 
tropical trees. There is a wealth of verdure and 
a variety of color which cannot fail to charm the 
tourist. The line crosses the Kelani-ganga, the 
second largest river on the island. The exten- 
sive stone quarries which supplied the material 
for the magnificent breakwater at Colombo are 
passed some distance off to the right. Soon, if 
the day be clear, Adam's Peak, towering high 
above surrounding ranges, can be seen rising 
more than seven thousand feet above the sea. It 

293 



294 AROUND THE WORUD 

is the site of a shrine at which Buddhists, Mo- 
hammedans, and Hindus worship ; here also is 
the gigantic "footprint " of Adam, Siva, Buddha 
or the Apostle Thomas, according to the super- 
stition of the devout pilgrim. 

On the way are tea plantations, and the Gov- 
ernment Experimental Gardens, where almost 
every variety of cocoa and India-rubber trees are 
found ; here also is the district long known as 
"The Valley of the Shadow of Death," because 
of the fearful mortality among the coolies who 
were employed in building the line. Soon after 
comes Rambukkana, where begins the very steep 
grade, necessitating an extra engine. In thir- 
teen miles the train climbs more than one thou- 
sand four hundred feet, and so Kandy is reached. 

The town lies at the base of an amphitheatre 
of hills ; it is certainly one of the loveliest spots 
in an island of extreme beauty. The principal 
object of interest is the celebrated Dalada Mali- 
gawa, the temple of the Tooth, which overlooks 
the Esplanade. This temple enshrines the sacred 
tooth of Buddha ; here for more than one thou- 
sand five hundred years this so-called tooth has 
been reverenced by millions of Buddhists. It is 
protected by six golden covers and is exposed to 
public view only on grand religious occasions, 
or when visited by distinguished potentates, and 
then amid great ceremonies. The temple is an 
irregular structure of indescribable architecture. 
Yellow-robed and filthy old priests keep up a 
show of daily services with grotesque dancing, 
beating of drums, and blowing of fifes. Here 



CITIES OF CEYLON 295 

heathenism is peculiarly heathenish and repul- 
sive. A motley throng of beggars well-nigh 
pester the life out of visitors and quite rob them 
of patience. 

Near here is the old audience hall of the 
Kandyan kings ; so also are the old palace, the 
botanical garden, St. Paul's Church, clubs, and 
other buildings, and Lady Gordon's, Lady Hor- 
ton's, and Lady Macarthy's drives. The sacred 
bo tree, near the temple, is believed to be the old- 
est historical tree in the world, and its record 
has been carefully kept since three hundred 
years before the Christian era. 

Beyond this region, it is said, wild elephants 
are sometimes seen in herds. Flying foxes are 
numerous in this part of the island. Coffee 
plantations once abounded, but a few years ago 
the trees were blighted and the production was 
of necessity greatly reduced. Banana groves 
and cocoanut trees are to be seen on every side. 
Much attention is now given to the production 
of the cinchona, which flourishes even at great 
elevations. 

The houses of the natives are made of bamboo 
poles with walls of mats or coarse mud plaster ; 
they are thatched with large palm leaves, inge- 
niously combined so as to exclude even equatorial 
rains. They have no chimneys and no windows, 
all the light that is required being admitted 
through the open doors, and the little necessary 
cooking being done in the open air. But some 
of the chiefs have houses which are tiled and 
whitewashed. 



296 AROUND THE WORLD 

Glimpses of Colombo. — The early name of 
Colombo was Kalan-totta, the " Kalan ferry," 
because of its nearness to the river. The Moors 
corrupted the word into Kalambu, or Columbu, 
and the Portuguese wrote Colombo, in honor of 
Christopher Columbus. 

The first thing which is seen on coming into 
the harbor is the low sandy beach in the fore- 
ground, with its fringe of waving cocoanut 
palms, and the background of mountain range 
rising into the sugar-loafed peak of Adam. The 
magnificent breakwater next challenges atten- 
tion. Its first stone was laid by the Prince of 
Wales, in 1875, and it was completed in 1884. 
Its cost was great for a city the size of Colombo, 
whose inhabitants number one hundred and 
twenty-eight thousand. Over this breakwater 
the waves often dash, and most beautiful is the 
sight of the spray, as seen in the moonlight, ris- 
ing fifty to seventy feet into the air. Hour after 
hour I watched it with the utmost pleasure. 

Colombo is the capital of Ceylon. Via Brin- 
disi it is five thousand eight hundred and sixty- 
eight miles from London ; via Gibraltar it is 
six thousand seven hundred and three. It is a 
prominent port for passengers to and from all 
parts of the East and Australia. The British 
government has here excellent barracks. From 
this point soldiers can be sent to meet any emer- 
gency, to India or elsewhere in the East. Brit- 
ain's line of outposts extends from the Mediter- 
ranean to the far East ; their order is Gibraltar, 
Malta, Aden, Ceylon, Penang, Singapore, and 



CITIES OF CEYEON 297 

Honof Konof. Thus Britain dominates the south 
of Asia and has an unobstructed road to her vast 
Indian possessions. 

Ceylon is a crown colony, and although so 
near India is separately governed. A governor 
is appointed by the crown, and associated with 
him is an executive council of five and a legis- 
lative council of fifteen. Britain has made her 
colonies, including Canada, to be practically re- 
publics. If only Great Britain had the Hawaiian 
Islands she would have another chain, with those 
islands as one of its links, stretching from Brit- 
ish Columbia to Australia ; but probably the 
United States might have something to say re- 
garding that. 

The red soil of the streets of Colombo makes 
one think of New Jersey, and the dust which fills 
mouth and eyes, of New York in certain condi- 
tions of her streets. The Pettah Quarter, or 
Black Town, is inhabited by the natives ; it is 
the Whitechapel district, or the Five Points of 
Colombo. In the suburbs are the pretty but 
modest dwellings of the Dutch and Portuguese, 
some of which date back to the earliest occupa- 
tion of the island by any peoples outside of the 
native races. 

The shops are numerous and attractive, but 
the shopkeepers in their importunity are a posi- 
tive nuisance. They will sometimes follow a 
stranger for half a block urging him to buy their 
jewelry, their sapphire and cat's eye, often doubt- 
less largely spurious, and perhaps manufactured 
at Birmingham for the delectation of the gullible 



298 AROUND THE WORLD 

globe-trotter. It was amusing to see the little 
oxen driven singly to yoke or harness and trot- 
ting through the streets with three or four men 
or women in the carriage, and they do trot quite 
fast. You can hire a man and a boat for an hour 
for a mere trifle ; the same remark applies to 
carriages and jinrikishas. Men who live in the 
East forget how to help themselves ; they have 
servants for everything and at every turn. There 
is great danger that the spirit of caste may be 
encouraged ; because of this system of service it 
is almost inevitable. It has to be guarded against 
even in missionary work. 

Many of the men are tall, erect, and stately ; 
and they are lithe, wiry, and strong. In their 
scant clothing standing on a street corner they 
looked not unlike bronze statues. Some of them 
wear skirts, and their hair being done up in a 
queer knot with a shell comb surrounding the 
head, they look very effeminate. Young boys, 
with their satin skin, white teeth, and bright 
eyes, are often handsome, but as they grow older 
they lose their beauty and become indolent and 
languid creatures. Some of the women might be 
called pretty. The " get-up " of nearly all is 
unique ; silver and brass jewelry adorns the tops 
and bottoms of their ears, rings are on their toes, 
and " bells " also, for silver coins are attached to 
the rings ; fingers, ankles, and wrists are often 
similarly adorned, and sometimes the rest of the 
body is very scantily clothed. 

Mr. Ballou and others call attention to the 
women employed as nurses by the wives of Eng- 



CITIES OF CEYLON 299 

lish officers. They form a separate class, and 
they have developed a remarkable taste for cheap 
jewelry ; they are dressed in the " londest " pos- 
sible style. Some of them I chanced to meet. 
They wear a white linen garment, cut very low 
and reaching to the knee ; over this is a blue cut- 
away jacket, covered with braid and buttons, and 
drawn in at the waist with a sash. Perhaps this 
description is not very intelligible, but I have 
done my best in a new department of literature. 
These nurses are very affectionate and to them 
children become much attached. 

The Sinhalese seem to be painfully conscious 
of the superiority of the white races ; they call 
every white man " master," and all the shop- 
keepers beg the " master " to buy this or that. 
Jinrikisha men, beggars, and shopmen are pain- 
fully persistent. They follow one through the 
streets offering their services ; on one occasion 
no fewer than five formed a procession around or 
behind me, until decided words drove them 
away. The population in Colombo is very mixed, 
Sinhalese, Nubians, Arabs, Javanese, Afghans, 
Kaffirs, and Jews being constantly seen, but there 
are no Chinamen. I saw on the street three 
American Negroes, their speech and dress indi- 
cating their country ; they were probably cooks 
on some sailing ship in the harbor. 

Crows are plentiful. They hover about the 
ships, fill the streets, are everywhere ; probably 
they are in some sense scavengers in the towns 
of the East. The Sinhalese canoe is long and 
very narrow and has an outrigger fastened by 



300 AROUND THE WORLD 

arched bamboo poles. With this apparently 
frail craft the natives will venture far out in al- 
most any weather. They also have catamarans 
in frequent use, similar in design to boats I saw 
at the Hawaiian Islands ; but the latter boats, 
like the people, were much better in finish and 
in appearance. 

A Comparison. — How does the Island of Cey- 
lon compare with the Hawaiian Islands ? That 
is a fair question, and to it I give as fair an an- 
swer as possible. In historic interest, in variety 
of productions, in size and solidity of hotels, 
shops, offices, and some public buildings, Colom- 
bo far surpasses Honolulu ; but in well cultivated 
lawns, trained shrubs, superb lines of royal 
palms, luxuriant growths of many other beauti- 
ful tropical trees, and in the intelligence of the 
natives and the enterprise and success of foreign- 
ers, and especially in the charm of its matchless 
atmosphere, Honolulu stands peerless among all 
the islands of the seas, and in the last respect 
among the countries of the world. Colombo is 
more than four times the size of Honolulu, and 
gives evidences in many ways of its great an- 
tiquity and varied forms of civilization. Hono- 
lulu has just been rescued from savagery ; but it 
has made noteworthy progress and gives promise 
of a still more remarkable future. 

Much interest was felt in all this region over 
the funeral of the sultan of Johore, who died in 
London early in June He was widely know in 
London, and at one time figured in an unsavory 



CITIES OF CEYLON 301 

social scandal ; he was not unknown in America. 
He was a man of ability in many ways, and 
showed an appreciation of the progress made by 
civilized nations. His remains were carried by 
the P. & 0. steamer " Bombay " until they were 
taken on board Her Majesty's Cruiser " Mercury," 
which was to convey them to Penang, and thence 
they would be taken to Johore. The deceased 
sultan's flag floated over his remains. The fu- 
neral at Johore was to be the grandest ever ac- 
corded a Malay potentate. In all the mosques 
on Friday, the twenty-third of August, the Ma- 
lays held services in memory of the deceased. 

At two o'clock, Thursday, August 29, we left 
Colombo for Bombay. These notes were written 
with the ship gliding over the waves. We sailed 
first through a part of the Indian Ocean, or it 
might be called the bay of Bengal, and rounding 
Cape Comorin we were in the Arabian Sea ; as 
we rounded the cape the chart showed the Mal- 
dive Islands on our port hand. The trip was 
ideal, the sea being like glass, the moon bright, 
and the air cool. At three o'clock, Sunday p. m., 
we were at Bombay, and soon after I was in the 
Baptist church of that city, with gratitude to 
God for all his mercies on this journey. 

It was now just exactly ninety days since I left 
New York, and counting the day of arrival in 
Bombay, just fifty of the ninety days had been 
spent on the sea ; and of the last thirty days but 
parts had been spent on the shore, and every 
night but one was passed in some one of several 
boats. Welcome India ! 



XXV 

"indika" 

BEFORE continuing our journey through 
India, it is fitting that a chapter should be 
devoted to the history and characteristics of this 
vast empire. This empire consists of twelve 
provinces directly under British control, and of 
about one hundred and fifty feudatory States and 
principalities which acknowledge the authority 
of the British crown. The whole empire com- 
prises about one million five hundred thousand 
square miles, and perhaps two hundred and 
eighty to three hundred million inhabitants, in- 
cluding what is known as British Burma. Atten- 
tion has been called to the fact that the area and 
population are just about equal to that of all 
Europe, less the empire of Russia ; and also that 
the population is more than double that of all 
imperial Rome, including all the races and 
nations that acknowledged the Roman authority 
in the days of its meridian splendor. Gibbon 
makes the population of Rome at that time one 
hundred and twenty millions. 

No India. — The Indians really have no name 
to describe their vast country. Bharata is the 
name of a legendary king of the Lunar line 
302 



"indika" 303 

of sovereigns. In Sanskrit the name of the 
country would be Bharata-varsha, but it has 
been well said that Sanskrit is no more the lan- 
guage of the country than Latin is the language 
of Europe. 

Sir John Strachey tells us in his recent volume 
on India that the most essential fact about India 
which a student of that country can learn is, 
paradoxical as the statement may seem, that there 
is no such country as India. That is simply a 
name which we give to a region representing a 
number of countries. He also reminds us that 
the differences between Bengal and the Punjab, 
or between Madras and Rajputana are, beyond 
comparison, greater than between the different 
countries of Europe. He affirms that Scotland 
is more like Spain than Bengal is like the Pun- 
jab. The native of Calcutta or Bombay is as 
much a foreigner in Delhi or Peshawar, as an 
Englishman is a foreigner in Rome or Paris. 
Britain never conquered the people of India ; 
there never was a people of India, never a lan- 
guage of India, never a religion of India, never 
a national sentiment in India. There never was 
a country of India in the sense of there being 
any sort of unity, physical,* social, or religious. 
Britain merely conquered India's conquerors. 

The name Hindustan is simply Hindu and 
stan or sthan, meaning land, or settled habita- 
tion ; but this word is of Persian origin, and 
thus the name means just the land or habitation 
of the Hindus, or of the river Indus, just as 
Afghanistan is the land of the Afghans. The 



304 AROUND THE WORLD 

Persians applied the name Hindus at first only 
to the dwellers on the banks of the river Sindhn; 
this was the Sanskrit name for Indus. The change 
of s into h gives us the Persian Hind. The Greeks 
borrowed the name from the Persians, and by the 
peculiarity of the Greek tongue, Hind became 
Ind. By certain linguistic causes this name was 
thus given at first to the valley of the Indus, and 
later to the whole country. 

Sometimes we speak of the East Indies as 
opposed to the West Indies, but while this is an 
old name and is still found in some of the early 
Parliamentary records, it is acknowledged by all 
to be an inaccurate name. Bishop John F. 
Hurst entitles his work on India, " Indika," de- 
riving the title from the Greek Megasthenes, who 
was the first writer to portray the inner life of 
India to the western world. Strictly speaking, 
Indika means Indian things. The book which 
Megasthenes wrote on his return to Greece was 
an account of his travels in the distant land 
of India. This is not, therefore, a title of the 
country so much as a word meaning certain things 
in that country. 

The Country Described. — India is the mid- 
dle of the three irregularly shaped peninsulas 
which jut southward from the mainland of Asia. 
Attention has been called to the fact of the simi- 
larity of position between India and Italy on the 
map. India is a vast triangle with its base on 
the Himalayan range of mountains ; the west 
side is washed, for the most part, by the Arabian 



" INDIKA " 305 

Sea. It is bounded on the north by China, Turk- 
istan, and Tibet, from which it is separated by 
the Himalayan range. On the east by Burma 
and Siam, and on the west by Baluchistan and 
Afghanistan. The coast of the country east of 
Cape Comorin, the southern extremity of the 
peninsula, is washed by the bay of Bengal. The 
extent of the coast line is upward of four thou- 
sand miles in all, and one-half of this distance is 
on the bay of Bengal. The extreme length of the 
Peninsula from north to south is about nineteen 
hundred miles, and its extreme breadth from east 
to west, not including British Burma, is about 
seventeen hundred miles. 

In the north are the extensive river basins of 
the Indus and the Ganges. In the central portion 
of the country is the great diamond shaped table- 
land, with its greatest length from north to south. 
The plain of the Indus comprises the Punjab. 
This is "the country of the five rivers." The 
plain of Sind is rainless and unproductive except 
as artificially irrigated. The plain of the Ganges 
constitutes Hindustan proper ; this is the densely 
populated region, teeming with fertility and 
especially rich in historic interest. The high- 
lands of central India comprehend the whole of 
the interior plateau not included in the Deccan. 
The Deccan was the term originally applied to 
the whole peninsula of India south of the Ner- 
budda River; but the term is now greatly re- 
stricted. This portion of the country consists 
for the most part of an elevated table-land en- 
closed by plains which reach to the seashore, 

u 



306 AROUND THE WORLD 

and being buttressed by the eastern and western 
Ghats. I may be permitted to refer again to Sir 
John Strachey. He calls attention to the danger 
arising from over-bold generalizations on India. 
Nothing could be more complete than the delu- 
sion that the people generally live on rice. In 
the greater part of India rice is a luxury en- 
joyed only by the comparatively rich. It grows 
chiefly where the climate is hot and damp. He 
estimates that out of the whole population not 
more than one-fourth live on rice. Millets and 
pulses are the chief food of the people in many 
parts of India. Many people get their ideas of 
India from what they have seen or heard on the 
coasts, and because the ordinary food in Lower 
Bengal is rice, it is assumed that this is the 
ordinary food all over the country. Sir Henry 
Maine shows how Mr. Buckle, in the general 
introduction to his " History of Civilization," 
has erred by his unwise generalization. He de- 
rives all the distinctive institutions of India, and 
the peculiarities of the people, from their con- 
sumption of rice. This food, he tells us, "is of 
an oxygenous rather than a carbonaceous char- 
acter, hence the law of caste prevails, that oppres- 
sion is rife, that rents are high, and that customs 
and laws are stereotyped." Sir John Strachey 
wisely remarks that : " This is as if an Indian 
traveler, landing on the west coast of Ireland, 
and finding that the people live on potatoes, 
were to assume that potatoes were the ordi- 
nary food throughout Europe, and was to base 
upon the fact conclusions regarding the condi- 



" INDIKA " 307 

tions of society in Germany and Spain." These 
unwise generalizations will account for the many 
contradictory statements which we hear from 
many persons who have lived in only one sec- 
tion of India and who have had but few oppor- 
tunities for travel or mingling with the people of 
different sections. 

It is an interesting fact that when the sun sets 
at six o'clock in Calcutta it is just midday in 
England, and early morning in New York. 

A Rich Continent. — India is rich in varie- 
ties of scenery, climate, and productions. It 
boasts the highest mountains in the world, and 
the country slopes from these lofty heights to 
the vast river deltas. It is not really a country, 
in the ordinary sense of the term, but rather a 
continent. Himalaya means the " dwelling-place 
of snow," the Sanskrit word for snow being hima, 
and the word for house, or abode, being a lay a. 
These mountains form a double wall along the 
north of India, and at their eastern and western 
extremities they send out offshoots to the south. 
The country is immensely productive when prop- 
erly watered by rain or by irrigation. Three 
harvests are often reaped, and there are never 
less than two. Rice, contrary to the ordinary 
opinion, is the staple crop in only a small part 
of India, and the daily food of only a compara- 
tively small proportion of the people. Elephants 
are a government monopoly, and shooting them 
is prohibited except under well-recognized re- 
strictions. The right to capture elephants is 



308 around the world 

leased out under special laws. There is a fine 
of five hundred rupees for the first offense of the 
man who kills, captures, injures, or attempts to 
injure, capture, or kill an elephant. 

Few people know how deadly the poisonous 
snakes of India are. It is often supposed that 
the stories regarding this matter are greatly 
exaggerated, but statistics show that in 1877, 
nearly seventeen thousand persons were killed 
by snakes as compared with eight hundred and 
nineteen who were killed by tigers. During the 
same year the sum of eight hundred and eleven 
pounds was paid for the destruction of one hun- 
dred and twenty-seven thousand snakes. 

One-third of the country is still under the 
control of native hereditary rulers. The popu- 
lation subject to these rulers is about fifty-four 
millions, or about one-fifth of the whole popula- 
tion of the country. The results of recent efforts 
made to secure the exact census indicate that the 
population is larger and not smaller than was 
usually estimated. According to the report of 
the registrar general upon the English census of 
187 1, " Any density of a large country approach- 
ing two hundred to a square mile implies mines, 
manufactories, or the industry of cities." But in 
India there is a density of six hundred to a square 
mile throughout large districts of the country. 
This is a remarkable statement, as showing the 
great density of population in most parts of that 
vast empire. 

There is a well-graded system of education 
throughout the country ; and there are three 



" INDIKA " 309 

universities, one each at Calcutta, Madras, and 
Bombay. A certain number of colleges are as- 
sociated with each of these universities. Below 
these colleges are high schools, where students 
are prepared to enter the colleges and univer- 
sities. There are also middle schools and pri- 
mary schools, where an elementary education is 
afforded. The colleges are numerous in different 
parts of the peninsula. The Indian educational 
system is designed to encourage the cultivation 
of the English language and to diffuse a knowl- 
edge of European science, art, and philosophy ; 
but very much still remains to be done regarding 
the impartation of even the rudiments of educa- 
tion. Enormous portions of the territory are 
yet practically untouched by British instruction 
or any civilizing influence. Sir John Strachey, 
in the volume to which allusion has already 
been made, charges James Mill with great mis- 
representations regarding Warren Hastings and 
his alleged cruelties in the province of Rohil- 
khand. The history of Mr. Mill, he charges, is 
"saturated with party politics." Sir John person- 
ally investigated the facts regarding the sale and 
extermination of the Rohillas, having spent sev- 
eral years of his Indian service in that province. 
He declares that no one there ever heard of the 
atrocities which still fill Englishmen with shame ; 
that the English army was not hired out for the 
destruction of the Rohillas ; that the story of 
their destruction is purely fictitious ; that Mill 
garbled his quotations, utterly misleading his 
readers ; that Lord Macaulay accepted Burke 



3IO AROUND THE WORLD 

and Mill as authorities ; that thus Macaulay was 
misled ; that these false statements are mislead- 
ing intelligent Indian youths, creating in their 
minds feelings of bitterness toward Britain ; and 
that, finally, this entire period of history will yet 
be rewritten, giving the truth which has so long 
been concealed. This is a matter of the utmost 
importance, and I am well satisfied that Sir 
James Stephen, Sir Henry Maine, and Sir John 
Strachey, by their robust, careful, and dispassion- 
ate criticism, place all students of history under 
a great debt of gratitude, and relieve the reputa- 
tions of many Englishmen in the early days of 
European history in India of enormous alleged 
cruelties which never were committed. 

The railway system dates from the adminis- 
tration of Lord Dalhousie. The first line of rail- 
way was projected in 1843, D Y Sir Macdonald 
Stevenson, who was afterward active in forming 
the East India Railway Company ; but the fi- 
nancial panic, which soon afterward followed, 
entirely defeated for the time being the project 
which had been inaugurated. Bombay saw the 
first sod for a railway turned in 1850, a line of 
road to Thana, a distance of only three miles, 
was opened in 1853. Lord Dalhousie contem- 
plated five great trunk lines connecting all the 
chief cities and the military cantonments. The 
total mileage of railways at present is nearly 
twenty thousand ; and of this total over eight 
thousand miles are State lines worked by com- 
panies. 

Cotton weaving is one of the oldest indigenous 



"indika" 311 

industries of the country. It is an interesting 
fact that the Greek name for cotton fabrics, 
"sindon," is etymologically the same as that of 
India or Sind. In latter days Calicut, on the 
Malabar coast, gave us the name of the fabric 
still called calico. In this way the study of ety- 
mology throws light on the history of Indian 
industries, as a similar study throws the bright- 
est light on the tribal relations of the earliest 
populations of India. Cotton and silk always 
formed a part of the rich cargoes which Euro- 
pean traders brought back from India when they 
found their way to that mysterious land. The 
English were especially careful to fix their ear- 
liest settlements in the midst of the weaving 
population. It is stated on good authority, that 
in delicacy of texture, in grace of design, and in 
fastness of color, Indian cotton can still hold its 
own against the world ; but although labor is 
there so cheap, the manufacturers of Manchester 
can undersell the handwork of India. 

The Government. — The government of In- 
dia is extremely complex. It is to be expected 
that a government which is the outgrowth of so 
many civilizations and conquests, would be com- 
plex in the extreme. By several acts of Parlia- 
ment, supreme authority is vested both for ex- 
ecutive and legislative purposes in the viceroy, 
who is called, in a business sense, governor gen- 
eral. The ultimate sanction to all legislative 
acts must be given by the secretary of state for 
India, at Westminster. There was at first the 



313 AROUND THE WORLD 

rule of the East India Company. This lasted 
from 1600 to 1857, when the Sepoy rebellion 
necessitated a change in the government. The 
present government has continued since 1857. 
It became evident after the Sepoy rebellion that 
to hold India the government itself must be di- 
rectly responsible. 

The real work of government is done by the 
local body in India. The queen, who is empress 
of India, of course is nominally the supreme 
head of authority. In exceptional cases the gov- 
ernor general may act independently of the coun- 
cil. There is an executive council meeting reg- 
ularly at short intervals, and there is also a 
legislative council, meeting only when required. 
The secretary of state for India is vested with 
vast power. He represents the sovereign ; he 
can veto any legislative enactment, and the vice- 
roy and his council in India are almost entirely 
under his control. He is governed by the advice 
of the local council, and his course usually is 
considerate and wise, but his power is well-nigh 
unlimited. The viceroy, often called the gov- 
ernor general, is appointed by the queen, and his 
term lasts five years. His winter capital is at 
Calcutta, where he lives in the great Government 
House, with almost regal honors ; but his sum- 
mer capital is in Simla. For administrative 
purposes there are five provincial governments ; 
and each of these is equipped with civil and judi- 
cial officials. The two presidencies of Madras 
and Bombay still retain evidences of their orig- 
inal equality with Bengal ; each has an army, 



"indika" 313 

and each a civil service of its own ; each also 
has a governor directly appointed to his place 
with the executive and legislative council. 

The Church of England exercises a vast 
amount of authority in India. The bishop of 
Calcutta is the metropolitan bishop, and there is 
a bishop of the Church of England in Madras, 
Bombay, and the Punjab. There are some chap- 
lains of the Church of Scotland, but the great ma- 
jority of the well-nigh two hundred chaplains 
belong to the Church of England. These chap- 
lains are supported at enormous cost. Perhaps it 
would not be discourteous to say that they by no 
means are worth that cost. 

I had the opportunity of meeting many offi- 
cers of the army and learned much concerning 
both the native and the British armies in India. 
It is a matter for sincere sorrow that immorality 
prevails to so large a degree in the British army 
and is now making its way also into the native 
regiments of the country. Facts learned con- 
cerning this matter are of the gravest kind and 
are worthy of the most careful consideration of 
officers, of Christians, and of all patriots and 
philanthropists, both in Great Britain and in 
India. 

The army for India, during the government 
of the country by the East India Company, did 
not form a part of the regular army of Great 
Britain. There is now a large body of English 
soldiers all the time in India. India pays the 
bill for her soldiers, both native and European. 
I was surprised to learn that the government at 



314 AROUND THE WORLD 

home does not pay a shilling toward their sup- 
port, not even the expenses of their transporta- 
tion. It is thus a fact that nearly one-third of 
the British army costs the British taxpayer abso- 
lutely nothing. The present strength of the 
army is two hundred and thirty thousand ; and 
of this number about seventy thousand are Euro- 
pean troops. Thirty thousand are made up of 
the militia, the young men in the various offices 
and railway companies being regularly drilled 
and liable to be called upon for service at a mo- 
ment's notice. The native soldiers number 
about one hundred and thirty thousand. The 
annual cost of supporting this army is put down 
at ^16,000,000; of which sum ^12,000,000 is 
spent in India. The horses for the cavalry serv- 
ice are mostly brought from Australia. 

This native army is thoroughly well drilled. 
I was freqently told that no part of the army of 
Great Britain is more thoroughly equipped for 
service than the native regiments of India. The 
officers and soldiers long for the opportunity 
of showing to Great Britain and to the world 
what they can do on the field of battle. If 
Great Britain and the United States should 
engage in war, native regiments from India rep- 
resenting various tribes and faiths, would be 
brought immediately into conflict with American 
soldiers. India pays her own bills for her sol- 
diers and Great Britain takes remarkable care to 
guard herself from liabilities for this. Britain 
rules India largely by Indian troops and makes 
India pay for keeping herself in subjection. 



XXVI 

CONQUESTS OF INDIA 

AT the dawn of Indian history two races are 
seen struggling for the soil. One is a fair- 
skinned people, who seem to have but lately en- 
tered the country by the northwest passes. They 
were of the great Aryan stock ; they spoke a 
stately language, and they worshiped gods who 
were on friendly terms with the people. The 
other race was distinctly of a lower type. The 
new-comers drove them from the plains to the 
mountains or made them their slaves. All au- 
thorities are now agreed that the Hindus were 
not the first inhabitants of the country, but were 
an invading race. 

The Aborigines. — These rude aboriginal 
tribes are still in the central and southern por- 
tions of India. We do not know the race name 
of the lower tribes ; they are, therefore, generally 
called non-Aryan, or aborigines. They have left 
no written records. Their monuments which 
have come down to us are rude stone circles and 
upright slabs beneath which they buried their 
dead. They were supposed to have consisted of 
three great stocks — the Tibeto-Burman tribes, the 
Kolarian tribes, and the Dravidian. War seems 

3 J 5 



316 AROUND THE WORLD 

to have been their chief occupation ; it is almost 
certain that they were not acquainted with the 
use of metals, but used rough flint weapons of 
various sorts. Other tribes succeeded them who 
fought with stone implements, not unlike those 
used by early Scandinavian peoples. 

Then came a race that knew the use of metals, 
that fought with iron weapons, and that wore 
copper and gold ornaments. The Vedic hymns 
teach us that the conquerors called the conquered 
peoples Dasas, or slaves. They despised them 
as flat-nosed or noseless, and as feeders on flesh. 
In Bengal the name Dasas still remains as the 
name of many of the lower classes. The race 
from the north prided themselves on their fair 
complexions, and the word for color, varna, came 
to mean race or caste. Their poets, perhaps 
four thousand years ago, praised in the " Rig- 
veda " their gods who had protected the Aryan 
color and who had " subjected the black skin to 
the Aryan man." 

We now come to the period of the great in- 
vasions of India. There are many legends of 
the sovereigns of the race of the sun and the 
moon. Their contests are recorded in the poem 
known as the " Mahabharata." The most cele- 
brated of these was Rama Ramchunder. He is 
supposed to have lived in the twelfth or thir- 
teenth century b. c. His deeds are the subject 
of the great epic called the " Ramayana." These 
legends tell us that a battle of fifty-six kings was 
fought for eighteen days ; but all these matters 
are purely legendary. The first event to which 



CONQUESTS OF INDIA 317 

we can attach historic importance was the in- 
vasion of India by the Persians under King 
Darius, about 518-512 b. c. He attached great 
provinces to his empire, so that it is said that 
one-third of the revenues of the Persian crown 
came from the provinces on the Indus. 

The Greek Period. — In 327 b. c. Alexander 
the Great invaded India. We have from the 
historians of his expedition extensive accounts 
of the manners and customs of the Hindu races; 
but there is not space in this chapter to go into 
the details of this invasion. After the downfall 
of this empire India was divided into a number 
of petty kingdoms. Great importance is attached 
by all historians to the Greek episode in Indian 
history ; it was the revival of intercourse between 
long separated members of the great Aryan 
family. Bishop Hurst calls attention to the fact 
that the two groups were strangely alike, whether 
studying astrology on the plains of Delhi, or 
rearing the matchless Parthenon at Athens, or 
building on the banks of the Tiber a city which 
should become the mistress of the world. Indeed, 
as he reminds us, the ancient Hindu Pantheon 
is strangely similar to that of the Greeks. This 
subject is worthy of careful consideration by all 
who wish to become masters of the influences 
exercised by the great Aryan races. 

The Scythian invasion, continuing from 100 
b. c. to 500 A. d., started not far from the origi- 
nal home of the Aryan race ; they marched down 
through the northwest pass into India, and they 



318 AROUND THE WORLD 

reared on the ruins of the Greek colonies a great 
kingdom. The rule of the native Hindu in 
India lasted about five hundred years. India 
came again into relation with the external world 
in 715 a. d., when the Mohammedan governor of 
Bassorah sent an army to obtain restitution of 
the Arab vessel which had been captured near 
the mouth of the Indus. Then began the course 
of the Mohammedan conquerors. No one can 
understand the history who is not familiar with 
this remarkable and, in many ways, brilliant era 
in the history of this great country. An entire 
volume might be devoted to this element in the 
history and civilization of the Indian peninsula. 
There were great conquerors, marvelous builders 
and founders of empires among these invaders. 
Of some of these rulers mention will be made in 
connection with the cities which they founded 
and the great buildings which they erected. 

Modern Contacts. — The Portuguese were 
the first of the nations of modern Europe to obtain 
a foothold in India. In the sixteenth century 
they seized some ports on the western coast and 
finally made themselves masters of important 
cities and districts. Their capital was Goa. All 
that the Portuguese now possess in India are Goa, 
Daman, and Diu, with a population of about one- 
half a million and a territory of four hundred 
square miles. They are a mixed people, half 
Indian and half Portuguese. The men are en- 
gaged largely as sailors and in other forms of 
sea-going service. 



CONQUESTS OF INDIA 319 

The Dutch were the next Europeans to invade 
Indian territory. In 1594 they reached the 
eastern seas ; in 1605 they expelled the Portu- 
guese from certain territories and controlled the 
commerce of the seas until driven out by the 
English. The Danes secured two settlements in 
India, both of which are widely known in con- 
nection with missionary history, and to one of 
which I shall have occasion to allude later. The 
French organized their East India Companies in 
1604 ; and as early as the fourteenth century 
they roamed over many seas and organized set- 
tlements in many countries, both on the east 
and on the west. But the English were des- 
tined to put an end to the hope of French do- 
minion in India by their victory near Madras, in 

1759- 

The English East India Company was char- 
tered in London in 1600, and soon it erected 
fortifications and established trading posts in 
many parts of the peninsula. For nearly a cen- 
tury and a half this great company was almost 
omnipotent in its relations to India and to the 
other countries having posts in that land. It 
finally surpassed them all in its claims of suprem- 
acy. This company was really the British nation. 
For a long period France and Britain strove for 
the first place. Associated with Clive were 
Watson, Coote, Forde , and Warren Hastings. 
Terrible were the conflicts between the British 
and various Indian tribes. The conflict with 
the Mahrattas began in 1775 and lasted for seven 
years. 



320 AROUND THE WORLD 

Great Britain in Control. — The story of 
British dominion is marked by great cruelty, 
often, doubtless, necessary, and by great trials, 
but by continuous victories. The " Black Hole 
of Calcutta " suggests a tragedy which will never 
be forgotten in British history. The battle of 
Plassey, which Clive fought against the judgment 
of a council of war, was one of the turning-points 
in the struggles of Britain for supremacy in India. 
This battle gave Northern India to the British 
crown. Between 1818 and 1857 the supremacy 
of Great Britain was apparently complete. 

In 1857 came the terrible mutiny known as 
the Sepoy rebellion. The British government 
had always been lenient in dealing with the 
natives and native tribes. The real cause of the 
mutiny was the realization on the part of the 
remaining scions of the old princely families 
that British supremacy would soon be complete 
and the native authority be entirely overthrown. 
There were minor causes ; it was said that the 
British government in making cartridges used 
the grease of cows and hogs, and that the na- 
tives would be polluted when they bit off the 
ends of their cartridges in loading their guns. 
The use of this grease was an offense to the 
caste prejudice both of the Hindu and the Mo- 
hammedan. Of the mutiny I shall speak more 
fully when we visit Cawnpore, Lucknow, and 
Delhi. 

The greatest blessing which could possibly 
have come to India was the triumph of Britain 
over all European claims for Indian territory, 



Conquests of india 321 

and over all the ambitions of the tribes them- 
selves. Wherever the British flag went, civil 
and religious liberty speedily followed. To-day 
there are immensely difficult problems for Great 
Britain in the management of the Indian penin- 
sula. As we have seen, a large portion of the 
territory is still under the control of native 
princes. They are loyal in a certain way to the 
British crown, and as between Great Britain and 
Russia they prefer Great Britain ; but if they 
believed that Russia would be victorious, should 
a conflict arise, they would quickly transfer 
their allegiance to the victor. Great Britain is 
managing the enormously great problems of In- 
dian government with remarkable wisdom. 

The British government in India is a despot- 
ism ; the people, strictly speaking, have no voice 
in the government of their country, but it is a 
beneficent and perhaps a necessary despotism. 
There is, however, a new India coming to the 
front. It is made up in part of Anglo-Indians 
of the second and third generation in India, and 
in part of educated Indians themselves, who will 
want, before many years shall pass, a voice in 
the government. They must prepare themselves 
for the honors and responsibilities which await 
them in the development of this new India. 

The hope of the land is in the dissemination 
of Christianity. Nothing but Christianity, with 
its attendant education, will break down the bar- 
riers of caste now separating the various classes 
in India. The spirit of caste seriously interferes 
with the unity and effectiveness of the army, it 

v 



322 AROUND THE WORLD 

practically destroys all social life, and it makes 
the government of India an extremely difficult 
task ; but Great Britain, under the guidance of 
Christian faith and its resulting civil and relig- 
ious liberty, will solve all the difficult problems 
and will move on toward the highest possibil- 
ities of this great country before the twentieth 
century shall be past. 

Religions and Peoples. — It is authorita- 
tively stated that nineteen out of every twenty in 
India are either Hindu or Mohammedan, but that 
there are seven Hindus to every two Moham- 
medans. The old races of the southern part of 
the country are known as the Dravidians ; the 
hill tribes of central India belong to the family 
known as the Kolarian ; the tribes of Indo-Chi- 
nese origin inhabit the southern slopes of the 
Himalayas, the greater part of the Assam Valley, 
and much of Burma. The high caste Hindus 
are supposed to be an offshoot of the noble 
Aryan race. The successful waves of Moham- 
medan conquerors exercised much influence on 
the civilization and architecture of the country. 
It is supposed that there are at least forty mil- 
lions of Mohammedans now in India. They be- 
long to four classes, and one class claims to be 
the lineal descendants of the great prophet. The 
Sikhs are confined almost entirely to the Pun- 
jab. Their strongest districts include the his- 
torical cities of Lahore, Amritsar, and Amballa. 

There are nearly one hundred thousand nom- 
inal Christians of various names. It is supposed 



CONQUESTS OF INDIA 323 

that at least one quarter of them are of Euro- 
pean origin, or at least possess some European 
blood. In southern India the work of the mis- 
sionaries has greatly changed the statistics of the 
country, but in the northern part of India that 
influence has not yet been powerfully felt. 
Christianity has been in southern India for 
many centuries. We know that tradition speaks 
of the preaching of the Apostle Thomas in dif- 
ferent parts of southern India. The Roman 
Church was the first that secured a foothold, 
through Xavier and his followers. There is 
still an enormous amount of missionary work 
to be done in India. When one contemplates 
the vastness of the field yet unoccupied he is 
almost ready to say that nothing has yet been 
done, but the next quarter of a century will 
probably see greater triumphs of Christianity 
than were wrought during all of the century 
now closing. This century has largely been a 
period of preparation. All the elements of civili- 
zation in railways, telegraphs, printing presses, 
telephones, and the many other forms of scien- 
tific progress, will now be consecrated to the 
spread of the gospel and to the advancement 
of all the interests of Indian civilization and 
Christianization. 



XXVII 

CALCUTTA 

IT was our purpose to arrive at Calcutta by 
steamer from Colombo ; but, as no steamer 
was going immediately to Calcutta, we sailed for 
Bombay, and the trip from Bombay to Calcutta 
was made by railway. It is not necessary now 
to give the details of the journey across the 
country, as the return journey with its visits to 
its varied historic cities will be fully described. 
The approach to Calcutta by sea is most strik- 
ing. The pilots on the Hugli River — this is the 
latest authoritative spelling — are well educated 
and occupy a more responsible position than any 
other pilots on the coast. The river is danger- 
ous and extremely difficult for navigation ; not 
only are there at certain seasons of the year fear- 
ful cyclones, but the bed of the river changes 
constantly. New shoals are continually form- 
ing and in order that a pilot may safely take his 
vessel over the river, he must have experimental 
knowledge of the shoals and tides. One of the 
most dangerous of the shoals is called the "James 
and Mary." Some suppose that the name dates 
to the wreck of a vessel called the " Royal James 
and Mary" on that bank in 1694; but there is 
another and better explanation of the origin of 
324 



CALCUTTA 325 

the name. It is said that in Hindi jal means 
water, and mari means fatal, so that the two 
words mean "fatal water." I heard the most 
thrilling stories of the terrible experiences of 
captains of various vessels in this " fatal water." 
Our arrival was by rail and not by steamer, 
and therefore some of the most interesting views 
of approach to the city were not experienced. 

India's Capital. — The word " Calcutta " is 
the English form of "Kali Ghatta" and this 
means simply the ghat, or landing-place, of the 
goddess Kali, wife of Siva, whose temple stood 
on the bank of the river. Calcutta is the capital 
of the province of Bengal, and the political cap- 
ital of India, and so the seat of the supreme gov- 
ernment. It is about eighty to one hundred 
miles from the seaboard by the river. The city 
is built along the bank of the River Hugli, an 
arm of the Ganges, for a distance of about eight 
miles. Since the opening of the Suez Canal, 
Bombay has become a sharp rival in all com- 
mercial respects. At the close of the seven- 
teenth century Calcutta was little more than a 
cluster of muddy villages : now, however, it has 
a population of nearly nine hundred thousand. 

Its founding, by Governor Charnock, took 
place in the year 1686. Then the British mer- 
chants at Hugli were obliged to leave their fac- 
tory and go twenty-six miles down the river 
to Sutanati. Their settlement spread rapidly, 
and soon it included what was the village of Cal- 
cutta of that day. In 1689-90 the members of 



326 AROUND THE WORLD 

the East India Company determined to make this 
place their headquarters, and in 1696 they built 
the original Fort William. In 1700 three vil- 
lages surrounding the factories were conferred 
upon the company by the emperor of Delhi, and 
a moat was constructed. The place was subse- 
quently called Calcutta, the name of one of the 
villages. There were natural advantages in the 
town which enabled the people to protect them- 
selves from the Mahrattas, and Calcutta, in 1 707, 
was made the seat of a presidency, and soon be- 
came one of the safest places in India for trade. 
The low level of the Hugli River, however, 
rendered drainage very difficult, and the result 
was that until a recent date malaria was very 
common. The jungle and paddy fields closely 
hemmed in the European residences. The Mai- 
dan, with its gardens and promenades, where 
every evening the rank and fashion of Calcutta 
may be seen, was then a swamp for a part of 
each year. The spacious Wellington Square was 
built on the filthy creek. So great was the mor- 
tality in that early day, that many sailors and 
others represented the name Calcutta as being 
equivalent to Golgotha, the "place of a skull." 
In 1756, June 20, a terrible misfortune befell 
the rising town ; it was sacked and Fort William 
was captured by Surajah Dowlah, the Indian 
ruler of Bengal. The majority of the English 
residents escaped to the mouth of the Hugli ; all 
the Europeans who remained were compelled, 
after undergoing a two days' siege, to surrender 
to the young prince, and one hundred and forty- 



CALCUTTA 327 

six of them were driven, at the point of the 
sword, into the guard-room. This was a cham- 
ber only from eighteen to twenty feet square, 
and it had only two small barred windows on 
one side. The sufferings of these wretched pris- 
oners from pressure, heat, thirst, and want of air 
it is terrible to contemplate. In the morning 
only twenty-three out of one hundred and forty- 
six ghastly creatures were found alive ; all the 
rest had been suffocated in this dungeon, which 
is still named in Fort William the " Black 
Hole." Mr. Howell was one of the survivors, 
and he has written a graphic account of the 
awful experiences of that terrible night. A mon- 
ument fifty feet high has been built to commem- 
orate that dreadful event, and stands in front of 
the supposed location of the door. 

The Mohammedans changed the name of the 
town to Alimagar. In January, 1757, about 
eight months after its capture, the English re- 
took Calcutta under Admiral Watson and Lord 
Clive. The foul crime perpetrated on English- 
men in the " Black Hole " aroused Clive's wrath, 
and nerved him to make one supreme effort for 
English supremacy in India, and this effort re- 
sulted in the superb victory won in the battle of 
Plassey. This battle formed an epoch in the 
stirring history of those heroic days. The Eng- 
lish found that almost everything of value had 
been taken away. A large sum of restitution 
money was received, and was divided among the 
sufferers. Commerce rapidly revived, and the 
ruined city was speedily rebuilt. 



328 AROUND THE WORLD 

Modern Calcutta really dates from 1757. The 
citadel called Fort William was rebuilt by Lord 
Clive, being completed in 1773. It is the largest 
fort in India, and is said to be large enough to 
hold fifteen thousand soldiers. Its cost was not 
less than ten million dollars. The fort is an 
irregular octagon, five sides looking landward, 
and three to the river. It is surrounded by a 
fosse thirty feet deep and fifty feet broad, and 
this fosse can speedily be filled with water from 
the river. At the time the new fort was built, 
the superb park and driveway known as the 
Maidan was formed. 

In 1707 Calcutta was declared a presidency, — 
up to that time it had been dependent on the 
older English settlement at Madras. In 1852 
Calcutta was erected into a municipality, the 
people paying assessments for cleansing and 
otherwise improving the town. It was contem- 
plated at one time to remove the city of the 
supreme government from Calcutta. The town 
was so unwholesome, and it was so remote from 
the center of the country that another location 
was desired ; but modern engineering has made 
the city substantially healthful and altogether 
beautiful, and railways have brought it into close 
touch with all parts of India, and telegraphs with 
Great Britain and the whole world. It is now 
considered to be among the most healthful cities 
in the East, sanitary reforms having worked won- 
ders. The improvements of English civilization 
have thus enabled Calcutta to hold its place as the 
capital of India. 



CALCUTTA 329 

The City of Palaces. — Calcutta, because of 
its many fine buildings, has sometimes been called 
the " City of Palaces." It certainly is a most 
interesting, and at the same time a very Indian 
city ; and notwithstanding that it is the home of 
many Europeans, it still holds its distinctive 
Indian character. As seen from the river its 
strong array of fine buildings makes it very at- 
tractive ; but the tourist has no sooner entered 
the dirty streets, some of which still remain, 
than he becomes aware of the filth of its native 
population. Naturally the Government House 
attracts immediate attention. It is a specimen 
of remarkably fine architecture, and it stands in 
a garden of six acres. The design is copied 
from that of Kedlestone Hall, Derbyshire. It is 
built around an open square, and is so constructed 
that it becomes a citadel when necessity arises. 
It is under a semi-military organization, and 
always ready to anticipate a popular uprising. 
Its dining room, throne room, and council room 
are worthy of careful examination and descrip- 
tion. Famous pictures adorn the walls of these 
rooms. In the council room are the pictures of 
Warren Hastings, Marquis Wellesley, Lord Clive, 
and others whose names form an inseparable 
part of the history of Britain in India. 

The town hall stands west of the Government 
House, and is a noticeably fine building. The 
High Court and the Secretariat are noble build- 
ings ; the latter stands on the north side of 
Dalhousie Square. The Indian Museum, the 
Calcutta University, the post office, Dalhousie 



330 AROUND THE WORLD 

Institute, and St. Paul's Cathedral are all build- 
ings worthy of careful examination. The Ro- 
manists have a church in honor of St. Thomas. 
There is also a Scotch kirk, St. Andrew's, a 
Greek church, and an Armenian church ; the 
Brahma Somaj, the reformed theistic sect of the 
Hindus, has a place of meeting. This sect has 
very little hold upon the ruling population, but 
it has earnest followers from among the Hindus 
of education and good social position. It was 
founded in 1830; but in 1858 Keshub Chunder 
Sen joined the Somaj and gave it considerable 
popularity. 

The Botanical Gardens, on the west side of the 
river, are worthy of a visit. These gardens in- 
clude an area of two hundred and seventy-two 
acres with a river frontage of a mile. They are 
marked by excellent taste, and as a whole are 
worthy of great praise. Here is found an enor- 
mous banyan tree, said to be one of the largest 
of its species in the world. It has often been 
represented in school-books, and is so old that its 
age is incalculable. Practically this species of 
trees lives forever, as it continually multiplies 
itself. To the right of the entrance is the remark- 
able avenue of Palmyra palm trees ; and there is 
also in the immediate vicinity an avenue of 
mahogany trees. There are here also specimens 
of the sacred bo tree, and a camphor tree of great 
size. There is a large conservatory devoted to 
the cultivation of ferns, and one will travel far 
before he will see so many varieties of ferns and 
so superbly trained as are here found. 



CALCUTTA 331 



All visitors are interested in seeing the palace 
of the king of Oude, who has recently died. 
He long had the reputation of having " wheels 
in his head." The government allowed him 
half a million dollars, on which sum he was 
able to live in the enjoyment of all the luxuries 
which his strange taste demanded. He was 
king of Oude at the time the English govern- 
ment dethroned him, and he remained a rebel at 
heart until the time of his death. The Sepoy 
rebellion had his earnest sympathy. He was 
practically a prisoner in his palace at " Garden 
Reach," as the place was called. Here he in- 
dulged in a strange taste for animals, having 
around him great numbers of tigers, a remarka- 
ble collection of snakes, and pigeons of every 
variety and almost without number. 

At the proper season of the year, every even- 
ing, the elite of Calcutta turns out for a drive on 
the Maidan. Here may be seen equipages as 
varied and elegant as can be seen at the Pincio, 
at Rome, the Prado, of Madrid, the Champs Ely- 
sees, in Paris, Hyde Park, in London, or Central 
Park, New York. Mr. Ballou, in his " Due West," 
affirms that the Maidan of this Indian capital in 
point of gayety, variety, and attractiveness, sur- 
passes all similar drives in any part of the world. 
Here ladies in brilliant dresses, nabobs in gold 
lace, attended by their barefooted runners, Par- 
sees, Hindus, English, Egyptians, French, and 
Italians, can be seen in all the most attract- 
ive characteristics of their various nationalities. 
After the light of the brief twilight hour has 



332 ' AROUND THE WORLD 

gone out, the Maidan is illuminated instantly 
by hundreds of electric lights which are flashed 
upon the gay scene. While the equipages dash 
around the long course the air is filled with 
music and with the odors of Oriental flowers and 
shrubs of many varieties. It is indeed a stirring 
scene and one which equally delights and sur- 
prises the tourist as he observes the characteris- 
tics of this far-off Indian capital. 

The portion of the Maidan lying between the 
fort and the main part of the city is known as 
the Esplanade. There are noticeable mosques, 
Hindu temples, pagodas, and bazaars. Two of 
the most famous monuments are those erected to 
the Marquis of Wellesley and Sir David Ochter- 
lony. There is much poverty and filth in the 
native sections of Calcutta. The streets there 
are narrow and unpaved, and the houses, for the 
most part, are built of mud, or bamboo and mats ; 
but even in these quarters many improvements 
have been lately introduced, including wider 
streets, improved drainage, and brick houses. 
The portion chiefly inhabited by Europeans is 
called Chowringee. The houses in this quarter 
are built chiefly with brick and covered with 
stucco. The majority of the houses are detached 
from one another and are surrounded by spacious 
verandas. The dwellings of foreign merchants 
are east of the Maidan, and many of them are 
palatial. The British merchants form a large 
and wealthy class. A considerable number of 
Americans are found in Calcutta, engaged in 
commerce with various parts of the East. The 



CALCUTTA 333 

Eurasians form a serviceable class, being em- 
ployed, to a great extent, in government and 
mercantile houses. The inhabitants have long 
been mostly Hindus ; but in 1891 the Moham- 
medans were nearly half as numerous. In that 
year the Christians numbered only about thirty 
thousand. The brokers, called smears and habits, 
are almost exclusively Hindus ; but the foreign 
trade of the city is in the hands of British mer- 
chants. Calcutta is the great commercial center 
of Asia, one-third of the whole trade of India 
being done here. The annual fall of rain is 
sixty-four inches ; in July the temperature in the 
shade ranges from 78 to 87 , and in December 
from 6o° to 8o°. 

A number of newspapers and magazines are 
published, both in English and in native tongues. 
The Sikhs have a place of worship, as have also 
the Chinese. There is a Mohammedan, a Hindu, 
and a Sanskrit college, as well as an Anglo- 
Indian college. There are also colleges supported 
by the Anglican Church, the Free Church of 
Scotland, and by the Jesuits, and the medical 
college is one known for its high standing in 
medical science. Since 1865 a supply of good 
water has been introduced. Many miles of street 
cars are now in use. 

No one can visit Calcutta without being deeply 
and sadly impressed by the scenes enacted at the 
" Burning Ghat." Here the ceremony of cre- 
mating the dead goes on both day and night. 
Corpses are placed upon the piles of cord-wood, 
raised to the height of four feet. Then the wood 



334 AROUND THE WORLD 

is ignited, and in a few moments the flames sur- 
round and soon devour the body. Sometimes 
the atmosphere is impregnated with the odor to 
such a degree as to be unwholesome and in 
every way undesirable. In three hours the bodies 
are consumed, and the ashes solemnly cast into 
the sacred river, for the Hugli, being one of the 
outlets of the Ganges, is considered sacred as well 
as the parent river. It is the custom for the 
oldest son of the father or mother to apply the 
torch. Afterward at Benares I saw similar sights. 
Human life is but little esteemed in heathen 
lands. It is deemed a high honor and a sure 
passport to some sort of heaven to be drowned 
in the sacred waters of the Ganges, or in any of 
its outlets. Along the banks of the river here 
and at Benares were many dying Hindus brought 
to breathe their last beside the sacred water. One 
longed to tell these men and women of Him who 
died that they might live a higher life here and 
a blessed life hereafter. 

SeramporE. — This name is very precious to 
all Christians, and especially to all Baptists. 
Serampore is situated on the right bank of the 
Hugli, about thirteen miles north of Calcutta. 
Few towns in India are marked by so much of 
neatness and by so many tokens of prosperity. 
The streets are clean, and while there is not 
much trade, an air of comfort characterizes the 
town. Its chief claim upon our notice is that it 
was the scene of the apostolic labors of Carey, 
Marshman, and Ward. Even Hindu writers 



CALCUTTA 335 

admit that the zeal and consecration of these 
missionaries form one of the noblest episodes in 
the history of evangelistic labor in India. 

In 1845 a treaty was made with the king of 
Denmark by which all the Danish possessions in 
India were transferred to the East India Com- 
pany. The Danish government from the first 
was in hearty sympathy with missionaries, and 
had itself sent out missionaries to convert the 
natives. Ziegenbalg, Schwarz, Schulz, and others 
had represented Danish and German missionary 
societies in the south. We shall ever give honor 
to Colonel Bie, the representative of the Danish 
sovereign at Serampore, because of the protection 
which he granted to Carey and his missionary 
brethren. When the powerful governors of Brit- 
ish India had nothing for them but opposition, the 
representative of the Danish king extended them 
cordial hospitality. It is not too much to say that 
God preserved Serampore under the rule of Den- 
mark that it might be a place of refuge for these 
Baptist missionaries until the so-called Christians 
of Great Britain should abolish their heathen 
laws — more heathen than those of the heathen 
themselves — and permit Christian missionaries 
to enter India. The governor of Serampore in- 
formed the king of Denmark of the high charac- 
ter, broad scholarship, and varied worth of these 
missionaries, and the king soon became their 
firm friend. In 182 1, Frederick VI., king of 
Denmark, sent the missionaries a gold medal, 
and he endowed the college which they had 
founded; and when in 1845, as we have already 



336 AROUND THE WORLD 

seen, he ceded Serampore to the British govern- 
ment, he inserted an article in the treaty con- 
firming the rights granted by the Danish charter 
to the Serampore Baptist College. 

The Christian world will never cease to thank 
God for Carey and his associates. Neither will 
it cease to thank God for the Danish king and 
the governors of Serampore. Adoniram Judson 
and other American missionaries, who were not 
allowed by the British authorities to land at 
Calcutta, were for a time received by the mis- 
sionaries at Serampore. In this place the mission- 
aries set up printing presses and sent out not 
fewer than thirty translations of the Scriptures. 
Carey obtained a mastery over the languages of 
the country such as no other European had ac- 
quired. He became the most learned man in 
all the languages of the land. He was found by 
L,ord Wellesley, who founded the college of Fort 
William, in Calcutta, in 1801, to be abler than 
any other man to teach the various languages of 
the country to Englishmen in the service of the 
East Indian Company, and he received the ap- 
pointment of professor in that college. He was 
the author of grammars and dictionaries in many 
of the languages and dialects of India, as well as 
one of the translators of the Scriptures into those 
tongues. 

In December, 1829, ne rejoiced in the enact- 
ment of the law by the council in India abolish- 
ing the practice of burning widows on the funeral 
pile of their dead husbands. It is estimated that 
every day at least two widows were sacrificed in 



CALCUTTA 2)37 

this way. The news of the passage of the law 
reached Carey on Sunday morning as he was 
about to enter the pulpit. Instead of preaching 
his sermon that morning he began and com- 
pleted before night the translation of the act. 
He could not bear the thought of a day's delay, 
which might result in the death of at least two 
more widows. That act of Lord William Ben- 
tinck was thus translated by the learned and 
consecrated Baptist missionary and sent forth 
to the nations of India. One's heart is thrilled 
to-day as he reads the wonderful events of that 
time and of the relation to those events of this 
" consecrated cobbler," as Sidney Smith called 
the immortal Carey. 

Serampore suggests a deep spiritual consecra- 
tion as well as a broad and noble scholarship. 
Carey and his associates were doing, as Bishop 
Hurst has suggested, in the Christian life, what 
Clive and Hastings were achieving by military 
and civil triumph. Carey's selection of a site 
in Serampore for the place to work for God and 
man in India was quite as important as Clive's 
victory at Plassey, and England and the world 
owe as great a debt to her consecrated mission- 
aries as to her bravest soldiers. Carey was not 
permitted to work in Calcutta, for the East India 
Company made money out of the false faiths of 
the Hindus. Thank God, the Danish flag floated 
over Serampore! 

Carey was a poor cobbler, Ward was a carpen- 
ter, and Marshman was a weaver's son. They 
are now an immortal trio. The college stands 

w 



2,^8 AROUND THE WORLD 

on the bank of the river and the library is still 
undisturbed. Bishop Hurst has well said, " Each 
penstroke of Carey, Marsh man, and Ward was a 
thunderbolt against the pagan wall of Hindu- 
ism." Souvenirs of these noble men may here 
be seen. Portraits in oil of each member of the 
missionary trio hang upon the walls. The bo- 
tanical collections which Carey made are still 
seen. In this library are collections of rare 
Hindu and Pali manuscripts which the mission- 
aries made. In the old Danish church are 
tablets in masonry of the great missionaries. It 
is a small building, seating only about one hun- 
dred people, but it is a spot dear to every lover 
of God and man. Lord Wellington was one of 
the contributors to the erection of the building. 
The missionaries are buried in another part of 
the town, but their tablets are in the little 
church. I copied Carey's epitaph, written by 
himself : 

William Carey, 

Born 17th of August, 1761, 

Died 9th of June, 1834. 

A wretched, poor, and helpless worm, 
On Thy kind hands I fall. 

One's heart throbs with emotions of apprecia- 
tion, gratitude, and enthusiasm as he reads these 
words. The world will never know how much 
it owes to this noble man. For thirty years he 
occupied the professor's chair in Fort William 
College, but all his earnings were employed in 
advancing- the cause of missions in India. The 



CALCUTTA 339 

tomb of Carey is conspicuous for its massive 
monument as well as for its tender and heroic 
memories. Of the three great men, Marsh man 
was the last to fall at his post ; but before Carey 
closed his heroic career he had the joy of know- 
ing that the gospel was preached in forty lan- 
guages or dialects of India. 



XXVIII 

BENARES, THE HOEY CITY 

IT was a matter of sincere regret to the writer 
that he could not visit Burma and the great 
Baptist mission among the Telugus in southern 
India. He cherishes the hope that before many- 
years shall pass he will visit both those parts of 
the country. In making his way back to Bom- 
bay, some of the towns now to be named were 
visited, while some others were visited on the 
journey from Bombay to Calcutta. The geo- 
graphical order is not closely followed in the 
account, but a glance at any good map of India 
will enable the reader easily to follow the order 
in which the towns are given. 

Poverty Amid Plenty. — The ride from Cal- 
cutta to Benares is deeply interesting ; it is also 
peculiarly saddening. The people living on the 
route are wretchedly poor, judged by all the 
standards recognized among Europeans ; but it 
is frankly admitted that poverty in India is to 
be judged by different standards from those em- 
ployed in Great Britain and the United States. 
Still, whatever the standard may be, the extreme 
poverty of the people must be recognized. The 
population is immensely large at every point. 
340 



BENARES, THE HOEY CITY 341 



It ranges from two hundred to six hundred peo- 
ple to the square mile. All the people are poorly 
clad, if they can be spoken of as clad at all. In 
the majority of instances the only clothing is a 
cotton cloth around the loins. Really, one won- 
ders how it is possible for the people to exist. 

We know that there have been great famines 
in India, but since the construction of railways 
and canals, the famines of earlier days are not 
likely often to occur nor to be of so great severity 
as in the earlier days. The famines of recent 
times are not because of, but in spite of, British 
rule and a comparatively Christian civilization. 
It is said that the average annual income of each 
inhabitant in India is only seven dollars and 
fifty cents. Five cents a day is considered rea- 
sonably good wages for the ordinary working 
man. 

There are historical and economical reasons 
for the extreme poverty of the millions in India. 
Previous to the occupation of the country by 
Great Britain the history of the country was one 
long warfare, and but for the authority of Britain 
the country to-day would be in unceasing tribal 
strife. The country would doubtless be in a 
state of continual anarchy. In the early days 
men of power amassed great wealth at the ex- 
pense of the common people. Nana Sahib's 
wealth is spoken of as measured by cartloads. 
Great stores of treasure have been found beneath 
the ground in the palace at Gwalior. The 
Mahrattas were the highway robbers of later 
Indian history, and their treasure was almost 



34 2 AROUND THE WORLD 

beyond belief. War and robbery have impov- 
erished the land. Great wealth also in the 
palmy days of heathenism was bestowed on the 
temples. Ecclesiastical and military chiefs grew 
rich, while the rank and file of the people starved. 
Great tombs, like the glorious Taj Mahal, were 
built, and hundreds and thousands of persons 
died of starvation in order to erect these tombs. 
But a better day is coming for India. 

Much of her soil is still uncultivated, and it 
is very rich. The government is using all its 
influence to induce the people to adopt better 
means of cultivating the soil. It is found very 
hard to induce them to lay aside the methods of 
their fathers, however superior the new methods 
are to the old. The enormous interest charged 
for money helps to keep the people poor. Many 
poor men, in marrying their daughters, will 
mortgage their lives for their entire future, and 
the rates of interest are so great that many debt- 
ors never expect to do more than pay the inter- 
est. But the representatives of Great Britain 
are striving in many ways to bring in a better 
day for this vast empire. 

The people whom we saw on this journey 
live for the most part in primitive mud cabins 
thatched with straw. Outside of certain districts 
in Ireland it would be difficult to find any other 
place where such poverty and squalor can be 
found. The country through which we were 
passing, however, is famous as an agricultural 
region. One would expect to find thrifty farm 
houses and prosperous villages, as one sees rice, 



BENARES, THE HOLY CITY 343 

wheat, sugar-cane, and vast poppy fields as he 
journeys through this district. Fruit trees of 
many kinds abound. Among them are lofty 
tamarinds, almonds, mangoes, oranges, and the 
graceful palm. Birds of paradise were seen, with 
their beautiful feathers glistening in the sun, 
and tall flamingoes, in their bridal plumage, 
with scarlet epaulets on each wing ; parrots and 
doves were seen, and the clear notes of the Indian 
thrush fell sweetly on the ear. Now and again 
temples, centuries old and in utter ruin, came 
into view. 

During this ride we found but little evidence 
of the British possession except the telegraph 
wires and the railway lines, but evidences of 
native populations and of heathen religions are 
numerous. The third-class cars were packed 
with pilgrims on their way to the sacred city of 
Benares. They were herded like cattle in these 
cars. The charge is only about one cent per 
mile, and no other class of passengers pays so 
well. For a long time the pilgrims would not 
ride in the cars, for they regarded the engine as 
some sort of fire-devil, which the engineer bribed 
by frequent drinks of water to draw the train. 
But now they ride, although they still, in many 
cases, retain their superstition regarding the 
engine. 

Benares. — Finally, after passing Mogul Serai, 
near the junction of the two sacred rivers, the 
Ganges and the Jumna, the ancient city of Be- 
nares is reached, on the left side of the Ganges. 



344 AROUND THE WORLD 

It is about four hundred and twenty-five miles 
northwest from Calcutta and four hundred and 
seventy miles southeast of Delhi. In population 
it is the fifth city of India, Bombay, Calcutta, 
Madras, and Lucknow alone being larger. For 
more than three thousand years Benares has 
been the religious capital of India. Indeed, 
tradition makes Benares coeval with creation. 
The population is about two hundred and twenty- 
five thousand. The Hindus call it Kasi, " the 
magnificent." Benares means " the best water." 
The present city is a modern city ; perhaps none 
of the buildings are older than the sixteenth 
century. Its foundations probably were laid 
when the Aryans held full sway and before any 
of the present faiths were known. From this 
center the great leaders of Hinduism have gone 
out to their supporters in all parts of the world. 
Benares is the most sacred of all the sacred 
places of Hinduism. It is the citadel of Hindu- 
ism. What Jerusalem was to the pious Hebrew, 
Mecca to the devout Mohammedan, and Rome 
to the intense Romanist, that and more Benares 
is to the fanatical Hindu. Benares is a division, 
a district, and a city. Certainly the city is one 
of the most ancient cities on the globe. When 
Babylon was struggling with Nineveh for su- 
premacy, when Tyre was planting her colonies, 
when Athens was in her vigorous youth, when 
Rome was unknown, and long before Greece con- 
tended with Persia, long before Cyrus was born 
or Nebuchadnezzar had captured Jerusalem, Be- 
nares had risen to greatness and glory. It has 



BENARES, THE HOEY CITY 345 

been said that Benares may have heard of Solo- 
mon's grandeur, and may even have sent her 
gold to decorate his throne and her ivory to 
beautify his palaces. 

The Anglo-Indian thinks you have really seen 
but little of India if you have not rowed on the 
Ganges at Benares and walked through its nar- 
row streets. The Ganges is here about half a 
mile wide, and it makes a sweep of four miles, 
the city being situated on the outside of the 
curve. The city is three miles long and one 
mile wide, and it rises from the river in the form 
of an amphitheatre. The bank is lined with 
stone buildings, some of which are six stories 
high. Ghats, or stone steps, lead down to the 
sacred waters. These steps are covered with 
bathers and worshipers. The streets are often 
so narrow that carriages cannot pass through 
them, and in some cases it is difficult for one on 
horseback to find his way through those crowded 
lanes. Some of the houses are painted a deep 
red, and others are of other bright colors, making 
the city as seen from the river most striking and 
picturesque. 

In order to see the city, its crowded ghats, and 
its numerous bathers, it is necessary to take a 
boat and be rowed up the stream near the shore. 
The view from the river is grand and saddening. 
Before the eye of the tourist rise three hundred 
mosques, with their glittering minarets, and not 
fewer than a thousand pagodas and other forms 
of heathen temples. In Benares is the Hindu 
Sanskrit College, the chief seat of native learning 



346 AROUND THE WORLD 

in India. The English department was added a 
few years ago, and its liberalizing influence is 
felt in many ways. Education in history, in 
science, in literature, in art, eventually will 
break the bondage of caste. Queen's College is 
also located in Benares, and its professors, for 
the most part, are from England. Almost un- 
consciously, its influence is undermining the 
citadel of heathenism. After a Hindu domina- 
tion of more than two thousand years the people 
fell under the Mussulman yoke, and great efforts 
were made to substitute Mohammedanism for 
Hinduism ; but Christian education will in the 
end accomplish far more than the fire and sword 
of the cruel Moslem, whose Satanic spirit has 
been recently revealed so terribly against the 
suffering Christian Armenians. 

Passing through the streets one saw troops of 
pilgrims, footsore and weary, some of whom had 
come from places one thousand miles away to 
bow before the idols in the holy city and to 
bathe their weary bodies in the waters of the 
sacred river. Some of these pilgrims were not 
beggars, but gaudily robed rajahs, with long lines 
of attendants. Here is an infirm old man as- 
sisted to the water's edge ; here a crazy woman 
screaming as they carry or drag her to the 
shore ; here comely youths of both sexes and 
of all ages ; here insane-looking fakirs going for 
moral purification to these muddy waters. Pil- 
grims are here from the extreme north and ex- 
treme south of India as well as from central 
India. They cannot speak a common language, 



BENARES, THE HOEY CITY 347 

but all are moved by a common purpose. Pil- 
grims from Tibet and Cashmere, from Himala- 
yan countries, and from Tuticorin, on the Indian 
Ocean. Many of the pilgrims who are bathing 
in the sacred river are in a condition of blissful 
ecstasy. They look out with quiet rapture on 
the sky ; they are lost in meditation. The dream 
of years is fulfilled. Some of them, standing in 
the water, have their Vedas before them, whose 
leaves they slowly turn. They are already in a 
Hindu heaven. 

Brahmans abound ; priests are everywhere ; 
mendicants also are numerous ; so are devotees 
with distorted legs and arms. Here is one who 
has so long closed his fingers into the palm of 
his hands that the nails have grown through the 
hand. Pilgrims sometimes are crushed to death 
by the crowds. This is heathenism at its own 
capital ; this terrible need is God's loud call 
upon all Christians to give these wretched peo- 
ple the gospel of Jesus Christ. Here is the 
Durga, or as it is usually called, "The Monkey 
Temple." It is devoted entirely to some sort of 
worship of monkeys, and here hundreds of them 
find a luxurious home. Bulls, snakes, pigeons, 
and monkeys are objects of a kind of religious 
devotion. Here is the well of knowledge ; at it 
Siva is supposed to reside. The stench of this 
well, caused partly by flowers thrown into it and 
allowed to decompose there, is intolerable. All 
pilgrims are expected to have at least one good 
drink from this foul well. Sacred bulls obstruct 
the narrow streets and render them too filthy for 



348 AROUND THE WORLD 

foot passage. Beggars, dogs, and filth crowd 
every spot. This city is the very hot-bed of pes- 
tilence. The sun can scarcely penetrate into 
these dark streets, and never into the under- 
ground dungeons. 

Delicate invalids are brought on litters to 
bathe in the sacred river. Here is a man dying, 
whose great desire is to breathe his last on the 
banks or in the waters of this holy stream ; then 
his passage to heaven is certain and speedy. 
Under that sheet is the cold clay of one dead, 
soon to be placed on the funeral pyre. Yon- 
der the flames are already consuming the dead. 
Tanks of water are covered with green scum, 
tanks in which hundreds of pilgrims have bathed, 
and whose waters are now carried away to be 
drunk in the homes as water peculiarly sacred. 
It is not surprising that cholera abounds. The 
government has adopted strict rules to compel 
the natives to observe sanitary laws, but it is im- 
possible fully to enforce these rules. The peo- 
ple are wretched; the idolatry of the place is 
abominable ; the city is organized impurity. 

The district of Benares is barely beyond the 
tropics and but little elevated above the sea ; the 
range of the thermometer is great therefore, be- 
ing between 45 in January and 111 in May; 
the mean temperature is 77 . Benares is famous 
for the manufacture of silks and shawls, for cloth 
embroidered with silver and gold, for jewelry, 
brass work, and lacquered toys. Many of its 
products are exported to England. It is the 
emporium for diamonds and other precious 



BENARES, THE HOLY CITY 349 

stones. There is also a large trade in sugar, salt- 
petre, indigo, and gold filigree work. In the 
bazaars we find the genuine products of skilled 
artisans. In the dark alleys and dirty lanes an 
article of silver gilt embroidery of unequaled 
excellence is manufactured. In this strange, 
vile, abominable, and idolatrous Indian Mecca 
there are many homes which are supported in a 
degree of comfort by several legitimate forms of 
industry. 

A Strategic Point. — Benares, like Colombo, 
occupies a central position, and is a strategic 
point in mission work. It is therefore vastly 
important as a field of earnest missionary effort. 
A blow struck for Christ in Benares is a blow at, 
the very heart of heathenism. The conversion 
of Benares to Christianity would produce a pro- 
found effect upon all India ; it would be like the 
conversion of Rome from heathenism in the early 
days of Christianity, or the Rome of to-day from 
Catholicism to Protestantism. Guatama, when 
starting out to convert India to Buddhism, fixed 
his residence at Sarnath, the site of the ancient 
Benares, and but three or four miles from the 
present city. It remained the headquarters of 
Buddhism for eight hundred years ; but finally 
Brahmanism overwhelmed its vigorous young 
rival, and largely drove it out of the country. 
Hinduism has also been more than a match for 
Mohammedanism, but Christianity will eventu- 
ally win the victory over its ancient and stubborn 
foe. 



350 AROUND THE WORLD 

The English Baptists began missionary work 
in Benares as early as 1816. Rev. William Smith 
was the founder of this work, and here he la- 
bored earnestly and with considerable success 
for forty years. This work was begun at Ben- 
ares as an outpost of the successful labors of 
Carey and his associates in Serampore. With 
great wisdom the Baptist missionaries founded 
in Benares an orphanage for native children. 
The Church of England began its labors in 
181 7 ; but its work was at first largely educa- 
tional. An educated class has sprung up and is 
making itself felt in the city, the district, and in 
many parts of India. 

I here met a babu, who was entirely familiar 
with English history and literature, and with 
the politics both of Great Britain and the United 
States. He spoke of political matters in New 
York and Chicago with as much familiarity as if 
he were a resident of either of these cities. He 
gave the writer a very bad quarter of an hour 
when he said: " If Tammany Hall is the ripe 
fruit of republicanism, I prefer imperialism ; 
and if it be the result of Christianity, I prefer 
heathenism." He was entirely familiar with Mr. 
Stead's book, " If Christ Came to Chicago." I 
reminded him that the volume was but the pre- 
sentation of one side of the case, and that if 
Christ came to Chicago he would see some of 
the greatest hospitals, and other humanitarian 
institutions, and one of the greatest universities 
of which the New World can boast ; and that 
Tammany Hall was simply an excrescence on 



BENARES, THE HOLY CITY 351 

the body politic, and was opposed alike by many 
good citizens and true Christians, that it was not 
the result of American civilization and Bible 
Christianity, but was practically a remnant of 
heathenism existing in spite of the helpful in- 
fluences of Christian civilization. 

Nowhere does idolatory seem to be more ut- 
terly vile than in Benares. This town, as we 
have seen, is the sacred city of Hinduism. Noth- 
ing can surpass the vileness of the streets and 
the varied abominations therein. It is almost 
impossible to walk through these narrow lanes, 
because of the filth and the odors which abound. 
Sacred bulls, vile monkeys, many-headed deities, 
and gross fetichism are found on every hand. 
One cannot but hope and pray that they will 
pass away in the light of education, and in the 
presence of Christianity. In the eyes of all edu- 
cated men, idolatry here appears in its native 
vulgarity. Its idols and symbols are repulsive 
and loathsome. It is not too much to say that 
idolatry is organized impurity. Looking at 
these pilgrims in their filth and yet profound 
sincerity, one deeply pities them and longs to 
give them the gospel in its uplifting power and its 
spiritual purity. There are temples in India on 
whose walls are engravings in stone whose vul- 
garity does not admit of description. Hinduism 
appeared with some degree of cleanliness and 
decency at the parliament of religions at Chicago. 
It wore, to some degree, Christian garments on 
that occasion ; but it may be seen at Benares in 
all its natural deformity and vulgar reality. 



352 AROUND THE WORLD 

It cannot but be that at Benares there are many 
who, though they have not yet confessed Chris- 
tianity, are dissatisfied with heathenism. Chris- 
tian missionaries are still working underground 
in that city, but great results may soon be ex- 
pected. There are now only about five hundred 
professed Christians in the Baptist, Methodist, 
and Church of England churches ; but there 
must be many thousands who are almost ready 
to declare their Christian faith. 

Never will the writer forget the horrid sights, 
sounds, and odors of this credulous, zealous, fa- 
natical, and idolatrous city. The sights of the 
hideous fakirs, in their revolting deformity and 
diseased condition, with their distorted limbs, 
their matted hair, and their wretched faces, 
haunted him for weeks. He longed to be able 
to tell them of a purer faith and a better hope. 
One has only to pass from the heathen into the 
Christian quarter of the city to have an unan- 
swerable argument in favor of Christianity. It is 
said that the crime of infanticide is very com- 
mon in Benares. Here jackals are the night 
scavengers, and their hideous wail often jars 
upon the ear in the night season. They are a 
recognized institution, and no doubt the city 
would be even more unhealthful than it is were 
it not for the voracious appetites of these crea- 
tures, living on decayed food, offal, and every 
form of refuse. The people are slaves to ig- 
norance, to idolatry, and to every form of im- 
purity. God help Christian Britain and Amer- 
ica to help idolatrous Benares ! 



BENARES, THE HOLY CITY 353 

Comforts of Travel. — It is simple truth to 
say that traveling in India is by no means uncom- 
fortable. The railway trains go with commenda- 
ble rapidity, and their accommodations are suffi- 
ciently good for any reasonable tourist. The 
coaches are not sleeping coaches, as we under- 
stand the term in America. The seats are ar- 
ranged lengthwise with the cars. The company 
does not promise an entire seat to each passen- 
ger, and sometimes it is not possible to fur- 
nish each passenger with one ; but the aim is 
so to do. A first-class coach will then be able 
to accommodate four passengers, each being able 
to stretch himself out full length, there being 
two seats below and two that can be let down 
from the top of the coach. The seats in the 
first-class coaches are upholstered with leather, 
those in the second-class with canvas. The 
second-class coaches have two seats in the center 
of the car. This fact is the chief drawback to 
these cars. In other respects they are almost as 
desirable as those of the first-class. All of them 
are provided with water and all necessary con- 
veniences, and some of them are furnished with 
bathing facilities. The prices for all classes are 
very low, much lower than in America. 

The companies experience no small difficulty 
in striving to adjust their compartments to the 
caste prejudices of many of their patrons. It is 
believed that the railways will do much to break 
up the caste system ; efforts are now making on 
the part of Brahmans and some others to com- 
pel the railway companies to furnish compart- 
x 



354 AROUND ?HE WORLD 

ments according to the caste prejudices of the 
people, but it is not likely that this demand will 
be gratified. 

The Mohammedan women also become ex- 
tremely troublesome when the railway trains are 
crowded. Often one who has a second-class 
ticket must be given a first-class compartment, 
as she will not ride in any compartment where 
there are men. The result is that when the 
number of passengers is great the difficulty of 
properly adjusting all these prejudices is a most 
perplexing matter. 

The hotels in India are by no means so poor 
as has often been stated ; in the large cities some 
of the hotels are reasonably good. This remark 
will apply without qualification to Bombay, and 
it is believed that soon Calcutta will have good 
hotels. Travelers have long been insistent in 
the demand for first-class hotels in that great 
city. The Great Eastern has been severely 
criticised by all travelers for well-nigh a genera- 
tion, but it has seemed to be indifferent to the 
severest criticisms which have been made against 
its management. Steps were taken a few years 
ago to improve this badly managed hotel. It 
was urged upon business men in Calcutta that a 
good hotel is a prime necessity to any city, for 
tourists visiting Calcutta have often greatly ab- 
breviated their stay in that city simply for the 
want of a first-class hotel. A new house has 
been recently opened, but it is doubtful whether 
it will supply the need so long felt. The Wat- 
son House, or the Esplanade, as it is more prop- 



BENARES, THE HOLY CITY 355 



erly called, in Bombay, is really an attractive 
hotel. 

Prices in hotels also are low throughout India 
as compared with prices in America. Hotels in 
Bombay of a corresponding grade to hotels in 
America are not more than one-half to three- 
quarters the price. The service is continuous 
and willing, if not always intelligent. The 
" hall boy " crouches at the door of your room 
and is ready to relieve you of the necessity of 
putting your key into the keyhole. Most An- 
glo-Indian families travel with a retinue of ser- 
vants, and an Anglo-Indian gentleman is almost 
always accompanied by at least one servant. 
This servant makes his bed in the railway 
coach, having a trunk full of bedding for that 
purpose. He waits on his master in the hotel, 
and supplements in many ways the service ren- 
dered by the regular hotel waiters. Most of 
the house-servants are barefooted, and they slip 
about quietly and quickly on the tiled floors. 
Their dress is, for the most part, white, with 
here and there a dash of color. The servants 
are clean and their dress is quite becoming. 

English of some sort is spoken at all the hotels 
in cities, and even at hotels in villages on beaten 
routes of travel. It is spoken also by the con- 
ductors of the railway trains, who usually are 
Eurasians. This is a large and important class 
in India and in most Oriental countries. Many 
perplexing questions arise regarding the status 
of the Eurasian people. Many phases of the 
general subject reflect no credit upon Europeans ; 



356 AROUND THE WORLD 

but the Eurasians are a most useful class as in- 
terpreters in business houses, in government 
offices, and in the railway and other forms of 
public service. 

The station masters are generally Europeans. 
At Agra the station master was a gentleman who 
had lived for some years in America, having 
had a home in New York, Chicago, and St. 
Paul. He was quite familiar with American 
affairs, and seemed greatly interested in meeting 
a tourist who could answer his questions and 
give other information regarding the American 
Republic. 

The punka, or fan, is an important feature of 
comfort in the Orient. It is found in the dining 
saloons of all the great steamers, in the dining 
rooms of all the leading hotels as well as in 
the bedrooms, and in the waiting rooms of rail- 
way stations. It is worked by hand, often one or 
two men or boys being employed to work it. It 
is found in banks and in business offices of every 
kind. So soon as the meal begins the fan moves, 
and it continues until the tables are deserted. It 
is really an institution of the Orient. For about 
six cents one can hire a man who will fan him 
all night. It is remarkable that a similar inven- 
tion has not been more generally used in our 
own country during the heated term. Plans 
have been devised for running these fans by 
machinery, but it is found extremely difficult to 
give them by machinery the peculiar jerk which 
they need and which the hand readily supplies. 

This writer violated all the traditions regard- 



BENARES, THE HOLY CITY 357 

ing the proper season of the year for visiting 
Oriental countries, and he is prepared to say that 
any country may be visited at any season with 
comparative safety, simply by the exercise of a 
reasonable amount of common sense. Some 
would say that the exercise of common sense 
would prevent a man from going to these coun- 
tries in mid-summer, but with some tourists the 
choice is between going at that season or not 
going at any season. It was fairly cool in India 
during August and a part of September, and he 
would be a rash man who would affirm that it is 
always cool in New York, Chicago, and other 
American cities during the same season. After 
an experience of eight consecutive nights spent 
on railway trains in India, and partly at stations 
while waiting for trains, it may be affirmed that 
traveling in India is but little more difficult than 
traveling in America. 

When one can buy rupees for about one-half 
their nominal value, traveling is remarkably 
cheap; but the depreciation in Indian silver is 
very trying for Anglo-Indians who receive their 
salaries in this depreciated currency. Their ex- 
perience is doubtless what ours would be in 
America if silver instead of gold became the 
standard. Any man who has reasonable powers 
of adaptation, and who will preserve a good tem- 
per, will find himself able to travel without in- 
convenience and with great pleasure and profit 
in India, and in all the countries of the Orient 
in which the progress characteristic of the clos- 
ing years of the century has secured a foothold. 



XXIX 

GANGES CITIES 

THE journey was made to Cawnpore with 
halts at Allahabad and Jubbulpore. 

Allahabad, " City of God," is known as the 
capital of the northwest provinces. It has a 
population of one hundred and seventy-seven 
thousand. During the months between Novem- 
ber and March warm clothing is often required 
at Allahabad. It is situated on the Jumna River, 
which shares with the Ganges the honor of be- 
ing one of the holy rivers of India ; and so Al- 
lahabad is peculiarly a holy city. It occupies 
the fork between these two rivers and there-* 
fore is in the region known as the Doab, or the 
country of the Two Rivers, a term analogous to 
the Punjab, or country of Five Rivers. It is a 
comparatively new city, although there was a 
city here three centuries ago, founded by Akbar, 
the greatest of the Moguls. There were, how- 
ever, other cities here long before that date. 

As the Ganges and the Jumna here form a 
junction, the Jumna loses its name and identity 
after the union, and the Ganges flows on in great 
power, and in impressive volume. A bath at the 
point where the two rivers unite has peculiar 
358 



GANGES CITIES 359 



sanctity. It is easy to see that Allahabad, be- 
cause of its commanding location, its healthful 
atmosphere, and its facilities for defense, must 
early have attracted a population. Bishop Hurst 
reminds us that it came to notice in the third 
century before the Christian era, when Megas- 
thenes, the Greek tourist, visited it. The Chi- 
nese pilgrim, Hiouen Tsang, also visited this 
place, and mentions it in the report of his travels. 
Next to Benares this city must have been sacred 
to the Brahman mind. Indeed, it was claimed 
that Brahma here made sacrifice of a horse as a 
thank-offering for the recovery of certain Vedas. 
So many poor pilgrims visit the city at the time 
of the great heathen festivals that it has been 
suggested by some natives that it be called Fak- 
irabad, rather than Allahabad. It is estimated 
that at the Magh Mela, or annual fair, not fewer 
than five hundred thousand devout Hindus make 
pilgrimages to this place. 

The town was first conquered by the Moslems 
in 1 1 94 a. d. Akbar strove to invest the city 
with Mohammedan peculiarities ; but the people 
have remained to a great degree Hindus, not- 
withstanding Allahabad was taken in 1736 by 
the Mahrattas, who held it until 1750, when in 
November, 1801, it was ceded to the British 
crown. From 1834 to 1855 it was the city of 
the government of the northwest provinces, and 
after the mutiny was suppressed it again became 
the city of the provincial government. 

The Roman Catholic cathedral, in the Italian 
style, is a noticeable building. Muir College, 



360 AROUND THE WORLD 

All Saints' Church, Trinity Church, and the 
Thomas Hill and Maine Memorial, are all worthy 
of careful examination. The fort was built by 
Akbar, in 1575. There is a broad moat, which 
can be filled with water at short notice. Asoka's 
Pillar is a highly polished stone monument close 
to the palace. It is of great antiquity. The 
famous " edicts of Asoka " are inscribed on this 
pillar. These edicts are supposed to date from 
240 b. c. There are also other inscriptions al- 
most as old as the Christian era. Some of these 
inscriptions show that they were placed upon the 
pillar when it was upon the ground. In 1838 it 
was restored by the British to its former position. 
Great interest attaches to the Akshcti Bar, or 
undecaying banyan tree. This tree is found in a 
dark chamber ; it is simply a trunk of a banyan 
tree without roots or branches, and yet, strange 
as it may seem, it throws out leaves. This re- 
sult is due to the moisture which is found in this 
dark chamber, and so long as the log possesses 
sap there will be leaves. The Hindus take ad- 
vantage of this phenomenon. They have made 
this chamber a holy place, and thousands who 
come to the Mela bring with them their votive 
offerings. This tree, it is supposed, has existed 
for thousands and thousands of years. It was, 
and to some degree still is, an object of worship. 
It is now situated partly under ground at one 
side of a pillared court. This tree and court 
seem to be the same as those described by Hi- 
ouen Tsang, to whom reference has already been 
made. However, it is said that when all the 



GANGES CITIES 361 



moisture disappears from the tree and it has no 
more leaves, it is secretly removed, and another 
stump is put in its place. 

The Mela, the religious fair of which mention 
has been made, is of great antiquity. It occurs 
every year about the month of January ; perhaps 
Allahabad owes its origin to the sacredness of 
the junction of the two rivers, and to the large 
number of people drawn there annually. In 
Allahabad one of the most important newspapers 
in India is published, " The Pioneer." 

In this city the tourist comes into contact with 
reminders of the great mutiny of 1857-58. The 
arsenal and fort at this place were garrisoned by 
a single Sepoy regiment. Sir James Outram 
was warned that danger was near, but no effect- 
ive steps were taken to secure safety. The story 
of the outbreak at Allahabad is one of the sad- 
dest in the awful misfortunes in the mutiny of 
1857. Benares did not suffer materially during 
that mutiny, but Cawnpore, Lucknow, and Delhi 
were deluged with blood. It was an awful crisis 
in the history of British dominion in India when 
this mutiny broke out in Allahabad. Fortu- 
nately, the Sikhs in the fort did not fraternize 
with the Sepoys. The Sikhs under Brasyer were 
drawn up at the main gate, together with some 
English volunteers. For a time confusion 
reigned supreme, but the Sikhs were ready to 
do superb service. They had themselves been 
conquered by British soldiers fighting for Brit- 
ain ; would they now join the Sepoys and the 
Oudh cavalry ? This was the question asked by 



362 AROUND THE WORI.D 



anxious hearts. The Sikhs loved their officer ; 
he gave them his command, and these stalwart 
Sikhs immediately obeyed. The Sepoys were 
commanded to give up their guns ; for a moment 
they wavered. But the Sikhs leveled their 
muskets. The Sepoys were overawed. They 
hesitated, lost their opportunity, and surrendered 
their guns. They were expelled from the fort 
and Allahabad was saved. 

Anarchy, however, reigned in the city. The 
jail was broken open and the prisoners were re- 
leased, every one of whom engaged in murdering 
the Christians. The treasury was also sacked 
and many Sepoys carried off thousands of rupees 
as their part of the booty. Soon General Neill 
arrived at the fort, opened fire on the neighbor- 
ing villages, and finally produced such alarm 
that many of the sympathizers fled to Cawnpore. 
The triumph of English arms, largely through 
the loyalty of the Sikhs at Allahabad, is one of 
the bright chapters in the terrible history of the 
Sepoy mutiny. 

Jubbulpore. — The weather was intensely hot 
as the hours passed while I waited for another 
train at Jubbulpore, which is about two hundred 
miles southwest of Allahabad. Jubbulpore is an 
important civil and military station, and the 
meeting place of two of the great Indian rail- 
ways, and consequently one of the most impor- 
tant railway stations in India. The great objects 
of interest here are the marble rocks, remarkable 
geological formations, which are about eleven 



GANGES CITIES 363 



miles from the heart of the town. The town is 
nearly one thousand five hundred feet above the 
sea ; in its vicinity are many lakes and tanks 
which in the rainy season are so swollen as to 
make the place inaccessible and greatly to 
strengthen its strategical position. A small Eng- 
lish force here defeated, December 19, 181 7, no 
fewer than five thousand Mahratta forces of the 
rajah of Nagpore. 

This place was once famous as the home of 
the Thugs. This word remains in our language 
although the Thugs themselves have been sup- 
pressed in India. They were a fraternity whose 
employment was to murder by strangulation. 
Their occupation was hereditary, and they made 
their living in this way. It was, indeed, a sort 
of religion. Captain Sleeman was chiefly suc- 
cessful in hunting down these criminals. Jub- 
bulpore was the chief center of their operations, 
and it was in this town that the families of the 
Thugs were confined after their capture. An en- 
closed village was formed, and within its walls 
these captives were kept as prisoners, and a 
"school of industry" was established on their 
behalf in 1835. At the first no fewer than two 
thousand five hundred of these people were con- 
fined in this village. Now, however, very few 
remain. 

Dacoity, or gang robbery, was another form 
of crime which required all the force of the gov- 
ernment to suppress. This also is now largely 
disappearing. The crime of infanticide has 
greatly decreased, but suspicious statistical facts 



364 AROUND THE WORLD 

show that it still continues to a considerable 
degree. In some towns the proportion of boys 
is very much greater than that of girls, and there 
is no reason to suppose that the proportion of 
boys in India should differ from that in other 
countries. 

Cawnpore Memorials. — Cawnpore, spelt 
also " Khanpur," is situated on the right bank of 
the Ganges, at the junction of four railways, and 
about one hundred and forty miles from Alla- 
habad, over six hundred from Calcutta, over nine 
hundred from Bombay, and two hundred and 
seventy miles from Delhi. In 1801 it became 
British property. The Ganges Canal empties 
into the Ganges River near Cawnpore. It re- 
ceives its water at Hurdwar, four hundred miles 
above. This work has been of great service to 
the entire district. It has a water-course of 
eight hundred miles, and with its bridges and 
docks cost the sum of ten million dollars. Since 
1888 Cawnpore has been in direct communica- 
tion with Bombay, through the opening of the 
railway to Jhansi. There are here convenient 
waiting rooms, and fairly good carriages can be 
secured at a very low price. The old city is 
about two miles northwest of the present city. 

This is the most important commercial center 
in the northwestern province. The city has a 
population, including the cantonment, of about 
one hundred and eighty-eight thousand. The 
name means, city of Kanh, or Krishna, Kanh 
meaning " husband." Cawnpore has large can- 



GANGES CITIES 365 



tonments and is an important military station. 
It is really a considerable emporium for harness, 
shoes, and various kinds of leather work. Some 
of its citizens whom I met called attention to its 
extensive manufactures, its cotton spinning, and 
weaving, and its fabrics turned out by the Elgin 
and the Muir, and spoke of it as the Birming- 
ham of India. It was interesting to see the 
smoke pouring forth from its chimneys, giving 
one the impression of vigorous enterprises in this 
old town. Cawnpore harness is well known 
throughout India. The government has in Cawn- 
pore an establishment of its own for the manu- 
facture of leather, saddlery, and harness. 

The chief interest attached to this town, how- 
ever, is because of its connection with the fright- 
ful massacres of the mutiny. Cawnpore, Luck- 
now, and Delhi were the great centers in this 
awful tragedy. I drove at once to the Memorial 
Church, built in the Romanesque style and con- 
secrated in 1875. It is near the site of General 
Wheeler's intrenchment, and from it a fine view 
of the town can be had. The Massacre Ghat is 
about a mile from this church. On the bank is 
a temple to Siva, but it is old and fast sinking 
to ruin. It was from this point that a boat was 
to convey the men and women who had been 
promised safety; but no sooner had they rowed 
out into the stream than they were fired upon 
from the shore. 

Never shall I forget the sad interest with which 
I visited the memorial well and garden. The 
gardens are well laid out, and extend for thirty 



366 AROUND THE WORLD 

acres. Over the well a mound has been raised 
which is crowned by an octagonal Gothic screen. 
In the center of this enclosure is the figure of 
the "Angel of the Resurrection." This figure 
is in white marble, and is the work of Marochetti. 
It is supposed to be over the actual well which 
contains the bodies of at least two hundred vic- 
tims. The arms are crossed over the breast, and 
each hand holds a palm as the emblem of peace 
and victory. These words are over the arch : 
" These are they which came out of great tribu- 
lation," and around the wall are inscribed the 
words : 



Sacred to the perpetual Memory of a great company of 
Christian people, chiefly Women and Children, who near 
this spot were cruelly murdered by the followers of the rebel 
Nana Dandhu Panth, of Bithur, and cast, the dying with 
the dead, into the well below, on the XV th day of July, 
MDCCCLVII. 



I stood beside this mound and talked with the 
Irish soldier who was then on guard, while all 
the memories of my reading in boyhood of this 
fearful mutiny came back with freshness and 
power. He informed me that now no native 
was permitted to come within the walls of this 
enclosure without a special permit. Until a few 
years ago natives were permitted to go, but por- 
tions of the decorations of the wall were found 
broken after a public festival when many natives 
had been admitted, and since that time permis- 
sion to enter has been refused, except to those 
possessing the necessary permit. 



GANGES CITIES 367 



The Sepoy Mutiny. — It seems fitting that at 
this point some remarks should be made of the 
mutiny in its relation to Cawnpore. While the 
mutiny was raging in different parts of Bengal, 
in 1857, Sir Hugh Wheeler was at Cawnpore 
with a military force of three thousand eight 
hundred men, only about two hundred of whom 
were Europeans. He was a gallant veteran and 
commanded the confidence of all his associates 
under arms. He doubted the fidelity of the 
Sepoys, and he resolved to make a selected spot 
at Cawnpore a rallying point for all who were 
under his authority. He threw up an intrench- 
ment on the chosen ground, enclosing two bar- 
rack hospitals and a few other buildings. He 
did not wish to show the Sepoys that he dis- 
trusted their loyalty, but he went on with his 
intrenchments, making earthworks about four 
feet high. The ground was exceedingly difficult 
to work, and the material had but little coherence 
when piled up for walls. Into this intrenchment 
he withdrew with nearly one thousand Europeans, 
two-thirds of whom were women and children 
and other non-combatants. Sir Henry Lawrence 
soon sent him reinforcements under Lieutenant 
Ashe and Captain Hayes. After the women and 
children had entered the miserable intrenchment 
terrible scenes of confusion occurred. There 
was, doubtless, much bad management. 

On the fifth of June the rising took place. 
The native regiments marched off, carrying with 
them arms and ammunition, and plundering as 
they went on their way. They sacked the treas- 



368 AROUND THE WORLD 

nry, they opened the jail, they burned the pub- 
lic offices, they captured the magazine with all 
its ammunition and artillery, and they placed 
themselves under the leadership of the Rajah 
Bithur, commonly known as the Nana Sahib. 
He immediately seized thirty-five boats of shot 
and shell which were on the canal, and the next 
day he laid siege to the intrenchment. This 
little body of three hundred and fifty English 
soldiers thus besieged were exposed to the con- 
tinuous fire of three thousand soldiers, trained 
and armed under British officers and familiar 
with British warfare, but they fought heroically. 
Perhaps never in the whole history of Great 
Britain did Britons fight with greater heroism. 
Their whole space enclosed was only about two 
hundred yards square. Soon provisions were 
scarce ; there was only one well within the in- 
trenchment, and in order to reach that it was 
necessary to pass over exposed places. Those 
who attempted to reach the well were shot down 
by Sepoys, who were themselves protected from 
a return fire. On the thirteenth of June the 
barracks caught fire ; and the casualties of many 
kinds were very great day after day. Cholera 
and small-pox broke out within the enclosure. 
The Sepoys made an open attack on the twenty- 
third of June; on the twenty-fifth they sent a 
message offering safe passage : " All those who 
are in no way connected with the acts of Lord 
Dalhousie, and are willing to lay down their 
arms, shall receive a safe passage to Allahabad." 
This note was in Nana's own hand ; it was his 



GANGES CITIES 369 



Satanic trick. On the twenty-sixth there was 
an armistice and a safe conduct to the river side 
and a supply of boats was promised. On the 
twenty-seventh the Europeans were reduced to 
half their original number, and on this promise 
of a safe passage to Allahabad they surrendered. 
How that promise was kept we shall sadly see. 
General Wheeler thought this a good offer ; but 
he was quite too trustful. At nine o'clock in 
the morning the whole company was embarked 
at the Sati Chaura Ghat in twenty-one boats ; 
then a bugle was sounded, the native boatmen 
left the boats and immediately a murderous fire 
w r as opened on the men, women, and children. 
Soon parts of the boats were burning. Many of 
the wretched captives leaped into the water, and 
sought to reach the land, but were shot in the 
stream or captured so soon as they reached the 
shore. For thirty-six hours one boat floated 
down the stream. Four out of eleven soldiers 
who swam from the boat, reached the shore and 
they alone were left to tell the awful story. The 
boat which had floated down the stream was 
finally overtaken. The men were shot, and the 
women and children sent to join those whom 
Nana had for reasons of his own rescued at the 
Massacre Ghat. They were then all taken to 
Nana Sahib's headquarters, where, confined in 
two small rooms for two weeks, they suffered 
fearful indignities. 

British Retribution. — Terrible retribution 
was near at hand. General Havelock was march- 



37° AROUND THE WORLD 

ing from Allahabad and fighting as he marched. 
A number of encounters between Havelock and 
Nana took place. Finally on the sixteenth of 
July, Nana at the head of five thousand men en- 
gaged in fierce battle, but was finally defeated. 
Brave Havelock learned as he marched to Cawn- 
pore the story of the terrible massacre. Nana, 
knowing of General Havelock's advance, caused 
the women and children to be massacred the day 
before Havelock's troops entered Cawnpore, and 
their bodies to be thrown into the well. To the 
honor of the Sepoys be it said that they refused 
to do such revolting work as slaughtering the 
captives, but Mohammedan butchers did it. With 
knives and swords they killed the British pris- 
oners from five in the morning until half-past 
ten. Three of even these hardened demons were 
overcome by fatigue, heat, stench, and the sight 
of so much blood. It was a sight to make angels 
weep. Britain has paid a fearful price for her 
dominion in India, and this was the crisis of 
her power and triumph. On the eighteenth of 
July Havelock entered the city, while Nana re- 
treated to Bithur. The city was silent as the 
grave when Havelock reached it, and for four 
days his men toiled on burying the dead. In 
November of the same year Cawnpore was again 
taken by the enemy ; but soon the Sepoys were 
routed with great slaughter, and so much of 
Cawnpore as had not been committed to the 
flames was in the possession of the British. 

General Wheeler has been criticised for his ac- 
ceptance of Nana's promise of safety to those who 



GANGES CITIES 37 1 



surrendered. It is easy for us now to criticise ; 
but General Wheeler's task was an extremely 
difficult one. He had under his charge compara- 
tively few men, as the large majority of Euro- 
peans were women and children. He had no 
stores adequate to their requirements and there 
was but little ammunition. There was also lack 
of medical necessaries, and water could be had 
only in small quantities and that at terrible risks. 
His position really was untenable. 

A few general remarks will cover many points 
connected with the mutiny at Delhi and Luck- 
now, as well as at Cawnpore. The real name of 
Nana Sahib was Sirik Dandhu Panth. He was 
the adopted son of Baji Rao, the last peshwa, or 
king of the Mahrattas. He was educated as 
a Hindu nobleman, and was a good English 
scholar. He had been trained to regard himself 
as a prince. He was greatly incensed against 
Lord Dalhousie because he had destroyed the 
peshwaship, after the death of the peshwa in 
1 85 1, and by this action had deprived Nana of 
his pension and of his royal salute. Nana was 
determined to revenge himself on his lordship. 
The day chosen was the one hundredth anniver- 
sary of the battle of Plassey. Nana represented 
the old regal power of the Mahrattas ; that power 
was now passing away, and the British were get- 
ting a firm grip on the entire country. The 
time seemed ripe for Nana's revenge. General 
Wheeler, as we have seen, was practically help- 
less. He was an old man, his provisions were 
scanty, and the heat was intense. In the mes- 



372 AROUND THE WORLD 

sage to which reference has been made, a mes- 
sage written in Nana's own hand, safety was 
promised only to those who were not connected 
with acts of Lord Dalhousie. 

Bishop Hurst calls attention to the effective 
means adopted by General Neill for impressing 
the native mind with the greatness of England 
and the certainty of punishment to those who 
opposed English rule. He took the prisoners 
captured from Nana into the prison where the 
terrible massacre had taken place. He marked 
off the place into squares and he then made his 
captured Sepoys wash up the blood. Touching 
Christian blood was the breaking of all Hindu 
caste, and to the Hindu mind it affirmed that 
every Hindu who had been thus defiled would 
receive eternal punishment as the result of this 
defilement. General Neill also tied many Sepoys 
to the muzzle of cannons and shot them into a 
thousand fragments. Many persons do not un- 
derstand the reasons for this form of punishment. 
It was not, as is often supposed, because of any 
spirit of cruelty on his part. The design was to 
produce the most terrible impression on the 
native mind, and nothing else that he could 
have done would have created such consterna- 
tion. These natives believed that the spirit of 
one whose body did not receive proper burial 
but was mutilated in death would forever suffer 
because of this mutilation. We can thus see 
why General Neill adopted this apparently, but 
not really, cruel method of execution. 

Unfortunately, Nana escaped. In i860 his 



GANGES CITIES T>1 '3 



death was announced, but two years later new 
acts of treachery indicated that he was still alive. 
Several persons have been arrested on the sus- 
picion of being Nana Sahib, but they were re- 
leased as soon as the mistake was discovered. 
What became of Nana is not known. Perhaps 
he died by the hand of some faithful follower, 
and perhaps, as some traditions say, he wandered 
into the jungle after the English captured Delhi 
and died by his own hand. Part of his army 
was captured during the following year, and 
many of his treasures were found concealed in 
wells at Bithur. The water was drawn from 
one well, the bricks were taken out, and seven- 
teen cartloads of gold and silver treasures were 
secured and taken under special guard to Cawn- 
pore, to Calcutta, and then to England. It is 
said that this slow march of captured treasure 
inspired the natives with a feeling of inexpress- 
ible awe and a wonderful conception of the 
power of England. As the result of this mutiny, 
England showed her power in battle and became 
the possessor of the vast treasures of the leader 
of the mutiny. This treasure had been won by 
the Mahratta chiefs long years before, and when 
their power declined, the last scion of the ancient 
house kept the treasure with profound secrecy. 
One purpose, no doubt, was to use it some time 
as a bribe for the lost power of the Mahratta 
princes, but it went to England. Nowhere on 
Indian soil would it be permitted to remain. 
Never again would it add splendor to a native 
court. The guns taken at the siege of Delhi 



374 AROUND THE WORLD 

were rolled all the way to Calcutta, stopping at 
every town to give the people some idea of Brit- 
ish power to crush a mutiny and to destroy its 
leaders. 

I went from place to place of interest in 
Cawnpore, but nothing impressed me as did the 
octagonal Gothic structure over the terrible well. 
The calmness of this marble figure, with a palm 
in each hand, is still before my mind. When 
all the sad sights and sounds of Cawnpore pass 
away from my mind, that angel, telling of peace 
in sorrow, victory in defeat, and life in death, 
will still be present as the symbol of resurrection 
and immortality. 



XXX 

LUCKNOW 

IT was a beautiful evening in September when 
I reached Lucknow. A carriage drawn 
by two horses and supplied with two men, one 
as a driver and one as a guide, was readily se- 
cured. For this remarkable outfit the price 
agreed upon was about twenty cents an hour. 
It required some courage to pay this bill without 
adding somewhat to its required amount. The 
guide had been a servant in an English family 
and spoke English with fluency, and he also 
seemed familiar with the history of Lucknow. 

It is a thousand pities that more Americans 
who travel so frequently in Europe do not ex- 
tend their journey into India. It is a marvelous 
country. It is a land of the remote past, and it 
will be a land of wonderful interest in the dis- 
tant future. In the writer's boyhood he was 
accustomed to read to his parents the newspapers 
giving accounts of the terrible mutiny. Rela- 
tives of his father and mother from the High- 
lands of Scotland were among the brave soldiers 
under Sir Colin Campbell. It was therefore 
with the deepest interest that visits were made 
to Cawnpore and L,ucknow, the latter place being 
the very heart of the mutiny. 

375 



376 AROUND THE WORLD 

The City of the Mutiny. — Lucknow is 
about fifty miles distant from Cawnpore. The 
journey between the two cities abounds in his- 
toric associations with the mutiny, and with 
British rule in India as a whole. Lucknow 
covers thirty-six square miles and has a popula- 
tion of about two hundred and eighty-five thou- 
sand, at least three-quarters of whom are Hindus. 
Lucknow is the fourth city in size in the Indian 
Empire, Calcutta, Madras, and Bombay being 
the only larger cities. It is situated chiefly on 
the right or southwest bank of the river Gumti, 
and is the capital of the province and former 
kingdom of Oudh. The river Gumti is here 
navigable at all seasons, upward for many miles 
and downward all the way to the Ganges. The 
river is crossed by three bridges. 

The city seen in the distance is imposing to 
an unusual degree. It conveys the impression 
of great splendor because of its numerous turrets 
and pinnacles and its many superb buildings ; 
but a closer examination of its filthy and narrow 
streets and its mud or bamboo houses quite re- 
verses the early impression. The streets are 
often many feet below the level of the shops on 
each side. The English quarter, however, con- 
tains beautiful public buildings, and is adorned 
with fine gardens. One is profoundly impressed 
by the difference between Christianity and hea- 
thenism by comparing the streets and buildings 
occupied by one or the other faith as one enters 
these Oriental cities. Going from the heathen 
to the Christian quarter in Benares, for ex- 



lucknow $77 



ample, is almost the contrast between hades and 
heaven. 

Lucknow does not contain many buildings 
which seem to be very old, and yet many Indian 
legends and histories claim that it is older than 
any of the other great cities of India. Some 
authorities affirm that it was founded by Laksh- 
mana, brother of Rama. It has important native 
schools in which an elementary education can 
be secured and in which Mohammedan theology 
is taught. 

Lucknow abounds in memories of the frightful 
scenes connected with the mutiny of 1857-58, 
and especially of the privations endured and 
the courage manifested by the beleaguered 
men and women within the walls of the Resi- 
dency. Here a few noble souls heroically held 
out against hordes of rebels until they were 
relieved by the brave men and true under Sir 
Colin Campbell. No man with British blood, 
or any other good blood, in his veins can fail to 
be moved by the memory of the noble deeds 
performed in Lucknow by Lawrence, Havelock, 
Outram, Campbell, and the brave men whom 
they commanded. Lucknow surpassed all other 
places in its determined resistance to the onsets 
of the insurgents. 

Naturally we drive first to the Residency after 
having examined a model of it made by Chap- 
lain Moore. The Residency, with its varied 
dependencies, is more than two thousand feet 
long and more than one thousand feet broad 
from east to west. The buildings are in ruins, 



378 AROUND THE WORLD 

and remain substantially as they were when 
evacuated at "the relief." The shattered walls 
bear eloquent testimony to the fearful experiences 
of those terrible days. The visitor's attention 
is immediately fixed upon the obelisk, erected 
by Lord Northbrook, with its inscription in 
memory of the native officers and Sepoys who 
died here while in the performance of their duty 
as soldiers of Britain. 

A building of special interest is the Dilkusha, 
meaning " heart's delight," a palace built by 
Saadat Ali Khan as a country seat. Near it is 
a park for which he cleared large tracts of jun- 
gle, and having laid out the ground with care 
and skill, he stocked it well with deer and other 
game. This was one of the country seats of the 
kings of Oudh. Here women and children, as 
well as the wounded men who were rescued from 
the Residency, found a temporary shelter. It was 
touching to remember that our brave Baptist 
brother, General Havelock, found shelter here. 
He died November 24, 1857, °f dysentery and 
its consequent weakness. 

Another building of great interest is the Mar- 
tiniere College, a college intended especially for 
half-caste children. This building was endowed 
by Major General Claude Martin, a French ad- 
venturer, and a native of Lyons, France. He 
was the son of a cooper, and he served under 
Lally in the regiment of Lorraine. He and some 
of his comrades were taken by Lord Clive, and 
he then entered the British service. He went 
to India as a private soldier, and finally he rose 



ujcknow 379 



to great power and influence under the native 
government. General Martin died in 1800, and 
was buried in a vault under the college building. 

There is an English church, an observatory, 
a hospital, a dispensary, a Methodist, a Catholic, 
and still other churches, some of which are 
worthy a visit. Sikandara Bagh, " Alexander 
Garden," was formerly a garden, as the word 
" bagh " implies. It is now a large walled en- 
closure. For a time during the mutiny it was 
a stronghold for the rebels ; but here a great 
many Sepoys were killed within two hours by 
the Ninety-third Highlanders, with some detach- 
ments of the Fourth Punjab Rifles and the Fifty- 
third Foot, under Sir Colin Campbell. Every 
inch of soil within that enclosure must have 
been thoroughly saturated with blood. The 
churchyard near the Residency is still kept in 
order and the monuments and tablets tell the 
story of the death of many a gallant soldier who 
died in the mutiny. 

The Machchi Bhawan — Fish Buildings — the 
name being given from the heraldic symbol of 
Oudh, are buildings well worthy of a visit. The 
Great Imambara was the place for caste meetings 
and feasts. It is a building which would attract 
the attention of any visitor from any land, and 
it has a hall which is said to be the largest in 
India. The ceiling of this octagonal room is 
richly decorated, and a plain slab marks the 
place where Asafu Daulah is buried. Although 
the sun was scorching hot at the time, a climb 
to the terraced roof of this superb building richly 



380 AROUND THE WORLD 



paid, because of the magnificent view of the city 
and country which it afforded. This great build- 
ing was erected in 1784, the year of a terrible 
famine, in order to afford relief to the men who 
wrought in its erection. 

The Hoseinabad, or Palace of Lights, is also 
an attractive building, and contains some rare 
and costly chandeliers. The Chattar Munzil, or 
Umbrella House, is a fantastic building, deriv- 
ing its name from the shape of the ornament by 
which it is surmounted. The best rooms in this 
building are now used for clubs and theatricals. 
The Alam Bagh is an enclosure of great interest 
because of its relation to the operations of Have- 
lock, Outram, and Sir Colin Campbell in the 
relief of Ivucknow. Sir Henry Havelock is 
buried in this garden. The museum, the iron 
bridge, the observatory, and the Moti Mahal, 
meaning Pearl Palace, and other places, are 
worthy of the tourist's attention. A drive 
through the bazaars gives an opportunity to 
examine examples of native manufacture, and 
shows how the plastic clay figures are so skillfully 
modeled in color. 

In Lucknow I met Scotch and English sol- 
diers who were full of stirring memories of the 
mutiny. One old man, now a pensioner, had 
served under Sir Henry Havelock. He could 
not say too much of the bravery and Christian 
character of that humble Christian and heroic 
soldier. Seldom have I been more moved than 
I was as I listened to these stirring recitals. 

The cemetery is certainly one of the most 



LUCKNOW 381 



interesting spots in Lucknow ; no fewer than 
two thousand men and women lie there asleep. 
It is beautifully laid out with flowers and walks. 
It may be permitted to quote here the epitaph 
of Sir Henry Lawrence, dictated by himself : 

Here lies 

Henry Lawrence, 

Who tried to do his duty. 

May the Lord have mercy on his soul! 

Born 28th of June, 1806. 

Died 4th of July, 1857. 

Sir Henry Havelock. — But no inscription 
interested me so much as that of Sir Henry 
Havelock, written by his wife. His tomb is an 
obelisk, thirty feet high, in the Alam Bagh. It 
was through his bravery that it became possible 
to reach Lucknow, and at Alam Bagh his fame 
was assured, so it was fitting that there he should 
find his tomb. His death occurred a few days 
after the relief of those who endured sorrow and 
starvation for four months in the Residency. 

Sir Henry Havelock was born at Bishop Wear- 
mouth, county of Durham, England, April 5, 
1795. He was one of a family of seven brothers 
and sisters. His mother was a most godly 
woman. She was accustomed to assemble the 
children for the reading of the Scriptures and the 
offering of prayers. He entered the English 
army about a month after the battle of Waterloo. 
While sailing to India, in 1823, he became a 
Christian by a living personal experience that 
his sins were forgiven and that he was accepted 



382 AROUND THE WORLD 

through Jesus Christ, and his whole soul glowed 
with heavenly love. He often expounded the 
Scriptures to the soldiers about him. His in- 
fluence was as blessed as it was extensive in the 
army. He was married February 9, 1829, to 
Hannah, the third daughter of Doctor Marsh- 
man, the companion of the immortal Carey. At 
Serampore he was baptized, April 4, 1830, by 
the Rev. John Mack, and he was ever afterward 
an earnest Christian and a consistent Baptist. 

His whole career in Burma, in Afghanistan, 
in the Sikh war, and afterward in the Sepoy 
Mutiny, is worthy of unqualified admiration. On 
his way to Lucknow he fought nearly fifty thou- 
sand Sepoys with two thousand five hundred 
men. In his last moments he said to Sir James 
Outram : " For more than forty years I have so 
ruled mv life that when death came I might face 
it without fear. I am not in the least afraid ; to 
die is gain. I die happy and contented." To 
his eldest son, who waited upon him with great 
tenderness, he said, " Come, my son, and see how 
a Christian can die." The inscription on his 
tomb is as follows : 

Here rest the mortal remains of 

Henry Havelock, 

Major General in the British Army, 

Knight Commander of the Bath, 

Who died at Dilkusha, Laknau, of dysentery, 

Produced by the hardships of a campaign, 

In which he achieved immortal fame, 

On the 24th of November, 1857. 

He was born on the 5 th of April, 1795, 

At Bishop Wearmouth, County Durham, England ; 



LUCKNOW 383 



Entered the army in 181 5 ; 

Came to India in 1823, 

And served there, with little interruption, 

Until his death. 

His ashes in a peaceful urn shall rest, 

His name a great example stands, to show 

How strangely high endeavors may be blessed 
When piety and valour jointly go. 

This monument is erected by 
His mourning widow and family. 

General Havelock was the subject of suspi- 
cion, and even of positive dislike, on the part of 
many officers of the army. His decided Christian 
life did not secure for him the affection of men in 
military life. It is believed that he was discrimi- 
nated against in the distribution of troops and in 
the promotion of officers. When he came from 
Persia to assist in putting down the Sepoy re- 
bellion he was a sick man. He was made, for 
the reason suggested, the target at that time of 
much hostile criticism. General Neill wrote of 
him in a complaining and hostile spirit, but 
Havelock was firm in his plans and unwavering 
in his methods. His arrival at the Alam Bagh, 
near Lucknow, was the signal that the victory 
was won and the mutiny crushed. Practically 
he was recognized as the conqueror of the muti- 
neers and as the deliverer of India. His trust 
in God never failed him, and amid much bodily 
suffering he kept on heroically in the accom- 
plishment of his plans until victory was secured. 

It gives the writer pleasure to give Havelock 



384 AROUND THE WORLD 

the honor which was tardily bestowed upon him 
when he virtually became the hero of the terri- 
ble conflict. Few men in the group of Christian 
soldiers in the history of the world more per- 
fectly combined religious fervor and martial 
bravery than did Sir Henry Havelock. He is 
the real hero of the Sepoy Mutiny. 

The Sikandara Bagh. — I have already re- 
ferred to the Sikandara Bagh. This bagh, or 
garden, which once belonged to an Indian 
princess, is a square about one hundred and 
twenty yards in extent, and is surrounded by 
a high wall. As Campbell, Havelock, and 
Outram were drawing together, the Sepoys saw 
clearly that they must seek shelter. Into this 
garden they rushed, and endeavored to close 
the gate when all of them had entered ; but four 
soldiers, two of them Scotchmen and two of 
them natives, prevented the closing of the gate 
at the risk of their lives. Two of them were 
shot and the other two crushed as they pre- 
vented the gate from closing. It is said that 
a Sikh corporal put his hand through the 
gate to control the bolt and had his hand cut 
off with a sword ; and it is also said that with 
the other hand he secured and retained his hold 
of the bolt. Then the pursuing columns of sol- 
diers arrived. The Sepoys saw that they were in 
a pen. They could not climb the wall, and 
there was no entrance save by the gate, and the 
British soldiers were pouring through that gate. 
Many of the soldiers thus approaching had seen 



LUCKNOW 385 



their kinsmen, and some of them their wives 
and children, slaughtered by these murderous 
Sepoys. They were wild with rage ; they were 
hot for blood. The Sepoys were absolutely help- 
less, and every one of the one thousand six hun- 
dred and forty-three met his fate at the cold 
steel of the wrathful British soldiers. That 
once smiling garden was thus drenched in blood. 
It was a terrible slaughter, but who can blame 
these soldiers? There has been no attempt to 
beautify the place since. It lies there as an ut- 
terly neglected place, and amid its tangled 
growths are mounds showing where the dead 
Sepoys were thrown into great pits which were 
their common grave. It will be many genera- 
tions, if ever, before the Sikandara Bagh will be 
used as a garden or as the site of public build- 
ings. 

Lessons of the Mutiny. — The caste preju- 
dice of the native soldiers which prevented them 
from biting off the ends of cartridges in which 
was the grease of cows and hogs, was the occa- 
sion but not the cause of the mutiny. The 
cause was the realization of the fact that Brit- 
ain was securing a firm footing on Indian soil. 
We can readily understand how quickly the 
caste prejudice, both of Hindus and Mohamme- 
dans, would make itself felt, but the cause lay 
much deeper. It was wonderful how quickly 
the news of the mutiny spread. 

Bishop Hurst reminds us that in January, 
1857, a Laskar in Calcutta asked a Sepoy to give 



3&6 AROUND >th£ world 

him a drink out of his lota, or water-cup. The 
Sepoy, because of his high caste, indignantly re- 
fused to grant the request. The L,askar replied 
that the Sepoy was polluting his caste by biting 
the cartridges which contained the grease of 
cows and hogs. The news spread rapidly, and 
in a regiment of native troops only about five in 
a hundred would touch the cartridges. Soon a 
soldier was sent to a military station with a 
lotus flower in his hand. This he gave to the 
chief native officer, who in turn gave it to a 
soldier. It was then passed on until every sol- 
dier had received it. The last soldier receiv- 
ing it took it to the next station. No words 
were spoken, but all understood the fearful 
meaning of this act. It meant death to every 
Englishman. It reminds one of the fiery cross 
used by the Highlanders in Scotland to arouse 
the clans. 

Six little cakes of unleavened bread, called 
chapatties, were sent to the chief man of a vil- 
lage. He forwarded them to the corresponding 
officer of the next village. In this case, as 
among the soldiers, no words were spoken ; but 
all understood the significance of this act. The 
priests also appealed to the religious prejudices 
of the people, and were an influential factor in 
creating a sentiment against the foreign rulers. 
It was a time of terrible trial for all the British 
residents. They did not know whom to trust. 
These insurgents had been armed and trained 
by the Hnglish, against whom now they were 
using English armor and training. The great 



LUCKNOW 387 



centers were Cawnpore, Lucknow, and Delhi. 
This writer can never forget his boyish memo- 
ries of those terrible days. 

The mutiny taught Britain that she must 
henceforth recognize religious principles in the 
government of India. The spirit of the mis- 
sionaries was never appreciated before as it was 
after the mutiny. The natives were also taught 
that they never can expect to drive Britain out 
of India. The mutiny failed, and failed forever. 
But it led to the granting of fuller rights to the 
natives of India ; Great Britain afterward put 
the natives on the same basis as that on which 
all other British subjects stand. Great honor 
was given to the native princes who remained 
loyal to Britain during that trying period. By 
special management on the part of Lord Bea- 
consfield, Queen Victoria was declared Empress 
of India. Perhaps the native Indians do not 
love England, but they know that if her strong 
hand were removed the foot of Russia would 
take its place. They know well also that Eng- 
land saves them from tribal jealousies and con- 
tinuous slaughters. They know that England 
conquered India not from its original owners, 
but from its conquerors. To quote Bishop 
Hurst : 

The history is one long tragedy. For thirty centuries 
India has been compelled to pay the painful penalty of 
possessing the fatal gifts of wealth and beauty. She is the 
Lorelei of all the ages. She has attracted the conqueror 
from afar but, with only the Anglo-Saxon exception, inva- 
riably dealt him ruin when once within sound of her siren 



388 AROUND THE WORLD 

voice. The whole of India is one immense God' s acre of 
dead civilizations and forgotten races. 

The noble Lawrence was killed, as we have 
seen, early in July, and it was not until Septem- 
ber 25 that Havelock and Outram were able to 
force their way into the city. Although Sir 
Colin Campbell brought additional reinforce- 
ments in November, it was not until March 19, 
1858, that the British fully regained l,ucknow. 
No traveler can ever forget the stirring memo- 
ries which will crowd upon him as he visits im- 
mortal I^ucknow. 



XXXI 

DELHI 

DELHI is a city of remarkable interest. If 
a tourist could visit but one city in India, 
Delhi is the one to be selected. Probably no 
city in India so fully represents various civiliza- 
tions as does this city, which for centuries was 
the proudest capital of the Mogul empire. 
Within a circle of a few miles about the pres- 
ent city, dynasty after dynasty established its 
power, ruled in splendor, and then passed away 
into silence. 

There have been virtually several Delhis, for 
each dynasty founded a new city on a new 
site. The old city was then left to crumble into 
ruins. Much of the space once occupied by 
these cities is now abandoned to jackals and 
owls. Marvelous secrets are hidden in this 
ancient soil ; could it be plowed up and its 
monuments, palaces, tombs, and mosques be re- 
covered, a history more wonderful than that re- 
vealed by the excavations of Pompeii would be 
made known to a waiting world. The traditions 
of Mogul splendor still linger about the modern 
as well as the ancient cities. All the currents 
of romance, of religion, and of military daring 
meet in Delhi. 

389 



390 AROUND THE WORLD 

SEVEN Deehis. — Probably the name Delhi 
ought rather to be written " Dehli." The an- 
cient name was Indraprestha, or Inderput ; the 
Mohammedan name is Shahjehanabad. The re- 
mains of the seven Delhis covered about forty- 
five square miles. These seven cities, as al- 
ready indicated, were built by seven kings of 
the olden time. There is much doubt as to the 
actual positions of these various cities, and prob- 
ably all the difficulties connected with these va- 
rious locations will never be entirely removed. 
It is known, however, that at the time of the 
Mohammedan conquest the Hindu city of Delhi 
was confined to two forts named Lalkot and Rai 
Pithora. Some trace the history to a period at 
least 1400 B. c. But all matters connected with 
these dates are and must always be very uncer- 
tain. 

It is claimed that for nearly eight hundred 
years Delhi lay waste and was then repeopled 
by a new race of kings, who in turn were dis- 
placed by kings of other races. The Hindus 
were constantly at war among themselves. As 
a result Delhi was easily conquered by the Mo- 
hammedans in 1 191 A. d. Then the Hindu em- 
pire which had so long existed passed away, and 
the old city, probably at the site of the two forts 
already named, was destroyed. The Moham- 
medan kings then took complete possession, and 
retained their position and power until about 
the beginning of the present century. One 
looks with unmingled astonishment upon the 
great edifices erected by these Mohammedan 



DELHI 391 

conquerors. They were the great builders of 
their day in India and other countries of which 
they became masters. Shah Jehan, one of the 
greatest of the Mogul emperors, was their great- 
est builder, but even before his time there were 
builders worthy of great fame. 

In 1739 the Persian garrison, which had been 
introduced into the city, was put almost entirely 
to death by the people. Delhi presented a scene 
of shocking slaughter. The emperor was finally 
obliged to intercede with Nadir Shah, who con- 
sented that the massacre should cease. Nadir 
left Delhi, carrying with him treasures estimated 
at from thirty to seventy millions sterling. 
Among other objects of enormous value was the 
famous Peacock Throne and the Koh-i-noor. 
Delhi was captured in 1789 by Mahadaji Sin- 
dia, and the Mahrattas held possession of the 
city until September, 1803, when General Lake 
gained possession of the city and also of the 
family and person of Shah Alam. A year later 
the city was besieged, but was successfully de- 
fended by the British, in whose possession this 
superb old capital remained until 1857. The 
descendants of Aurangzib were allowed some of 
the rights of royalty, among them the retention 
of the title of king ; but the British were in 
possession and so remained until the great 
mutiny of 1857, of which event I shall make 
full mention a little later. 

Let us get clearly in our minds the location 
and general characteristics of this wonderfully 
interesting city. It is the capital of the prov- 



392 AROUND THE WORLD 

ince and district of the same name and is situ- 
ated on an offset of the river Jumna. The loca- 
tion is high, being estimated at eight hundred 
feet above sea level. The modern city was really 
built by the Emperor Shah Jehan and com- 
menced in the year 1631 ; this modern city has 
a circumference of about seven miles. In the 
walls are eleven gates, the chief being the Raj 
Ghat, which faces the river Jumna, the Cash- 
mere on the north, the Cabul and the Lahore on 
the west, the Ajmere on the southwest, and the 
Delhi on the north. Most of the streets in this 
remarkable city are narrow, but the Chandni 
Chowk, meaning silver square, or the native ba- 
zaar, is a noticeable exception. This street is 
ninety feet broad and one thousand five hundred 
yards in length and is intersected by an aque- 
duct. There is another street, which is a mile 
long and one hundred and twenty feet wide. 
All visitors are enthusiastic over the beauty of 
the buildings in Delhi as well as deeply inter- 
ested in its remarkable history. 

Palaces and Thrones. — It is difficult to 
know how to compress into a single chapter 
what one would like to say regarding the sites 
in Delhi. We shall call attention to them in 
the order in which the average tourist would see 
them, and then give in a few sentences the rela- 
tion of Delhi to the memorable mutiny of 1857. 

The Diwan-i-Am, or Hall of Public Audience, 
is a building which must arrest the attention of 
every tourist. It is open at three sides and is 



DELHI 393 

supported by rows of red sandstone pillars. The 
throne was raised about ten feet from the ground 
and covered by a canopy, supported by four pil- 
lars of white marble. A doorway leads from 
behind the throne to the emperor's private 
apartment. The wall behind the throne is gor- 
geous in mosaics of precious stones and paint- 
ings of fruits, birds, and flowers. This was the 
work of Austin de Bordeaux, who, because he 
had palmed off false gems on several European 
princes, was obliged to find refuge at the court 
of Shah Jehan. The Diwan-i-Khas, or Private 
Hall of Audience, is in the immediate vicinity 
and is a pavilion of white marble, richly orna- 
mented with gold. The books state that the 
ceiling was once plated with silver, but that it 
was carried off by the Mahrattas in 1760. Over 
the north and south arches is written the famous 
Persian distich, which I quote from Murray's 
" Handbook " : 

If on earth be an Eden of bliss, 
It is this, it is this, none but this. 

There seems to have been great propriety in 
these lines. In the center of the east side is the 
white marble stand on which stood the Takht-i- 
Taus, or Peacock Throne, which was carried 
away in 1739 by Nadir Shah. It is said that 
this throne can still be seen in the royal palace 
at Teheran. The name "Peacock Throne" was 
given it because figures of two peacocks stood 
behind it with expanded tails, the whole surface 
being inlaid with rubies, emeralds, pearls, and 



394 AROUND THE WORLD 

other precious stones. It is said that the colors 
were so harmonized as to represent the actual 
appearance of peacocks. The cost of this throne 
is variously stated at from two to six million 
pounds sterling. It was six feet long by four 
feet broad, and it stood on six massive feet, 
which, with the body, wonderful to relate, were 
of solid gold inlaid with rubies, emeralds, and 
diamonds. It was surmounted by a canopy of 
gold held in place by twelve pillars, all flashing 
with gems, while a fringe of pearls ornamented 
the canopy itself. It is difficult to see how this 
bedstead-like throne could have been beautiful 
in its design, however resplendent it was in ap- 
pearance and however great its value. Between 
the two peacocks there was a parrot of ordinary 
size perched on a tester, and said to have been 
carved out of a single emerald. The umbrella 
was the Oriental emblem of royalty, and one 
stood on each side of the throne. These um- 
brellas were formed of crimson velvet, and the 
handles, which were eight feet high, were of 
solid gold, ornamented with diamonds. It is 
claimed that Austin de Bordeaux, who probably 
was one of the chief architects of the Taj Mahal, 
was the chief designer of this marvelous throne. 
Not far from the Diwan-i-Khas is the Saman 
Burj and Rang Mahal. The apartments for the 
women are of white marble, and in the olden 
days were probably surrounded by gardens and 
fountains. The palace in the days of its splen- 
dor must have been one of the most beautiful 
structures ever created by human genius and 



DELHI 395 

wealth. The buildings that are now left have 
become quarters for the English soldiers. Then 
comes the Moti Musjid, or the "Pearl Mosque." 
A tourist soon becomes very familiar with this 
name in visiting these Mogul cities. This title 
is always given to the mosque which is consid- 
ered the architectural gem of the place. This 
mosque has a bronze door covered with interest- 
ing designs, but the arches indicate the influence 
of Hindu architecture. It is said to have been 
erected in 1635 by Aurangzib. 

The Jumma Musjid, or the chief mosque, was 
long in the opinion of Mohammedans one of the 
wonders of the world. It was built by Shah 
Jehan in the six years from 1631 to 1637. It 
stands on a paved platform four hundred and 
fifty feet square and on a rocky height, near the 
center of the city. It is approached by broad 
stone steps, forming one side of a quadrangle, 
whose other sides are formed by pavilions and 
arcades. Its length is two hundred and sixty- 
one feet, and it is lined and faced with white 
marble. Three domes of white marble striped 
with black surmount the structure, and at each 
end of the front is a lofty minaret. Within 
recent years the British government has taken 
great pains to restore this wonderful building. 
It is not unlike the Moti Musjid in the Agra 
Fort, although it is very much larger. The ad- 
mixture of its materials robs it of the beautiful 
effect produced by the former ; but the combina- 
tion of its gateways, its towers, and domes gives 
it a remarkably pleasing effect as seen by one 



396 AROUND THE WORXD 

who approaches it by its broad stone steps. The 
gateways are surmounted with galleries, on whose 
roof are fifteen marble domes, whose spires are 
tipped with gold. It is claimed that no fewer 
than five thousand workmen were employed for 
five years in its construction. The most matter- 
of-fact description which can be given of this 
marvelous monument would seem an exaggera- 
tion to one who has not seen it. 

The Golden Mosque, so called from its three 
gilt domes, is also an object of marked interest. 
It is said that it was here that Nadir Shah sat 
during the massacre at Delhi. The Queen's 
Gardens are laid out with beautiful trees and 
shrubs. Here in these gardens is a huge stone 
elephant, which, according to the inscription, 
was brought from Gwalior by the Emperor 
Shah Jehan in 1645. 

There are many other objects of interest in 
the town, but there is not space here to speak of 
them in detail. Several places of importance in 
connection with the mutiny and siege may, how- 
ever, be mentioned. The St. James' Memorial 
Church contains a large number of tablets of 
regimental losses, showing in some instances 
that whole families perished. The Cashmere 
Gate is interesting, as through breaches near it 
some of the storming columns passed during the 
terrible crisis. The Kudsiya Gardens are near 
the cemetery, in which is the tomb of General 
Nicholson, one of the greatest heroes who led 
the assault on Delhi, but fell in the hour of vic- 
tory. 



DELHI 397 

Asoka's Pillar attracts the attention of all 
tourists. It is believed to have been erected 
originally at Meerut by King Asoka, in the 
third century b. c. After being thrown down 
and broken into various pieces, it was finally set 
up in this place by the British government in 
1867. There is another of Asoka's pillars near 
Delhi ; the other is on the top of a building in 
the village of Ferozabad. These pillars are be- 
lieved to have been brought to Delhi by Feroz 
Shah, and they are also believed to be Buddhist 
remains. 

The Mutiny Memorial is an octagonal Gothic 
spire of red sandstone. It was erected to com- 
memorate the names of the regiments and bat- 
teries that served in the mutiny, and of the offi- 
cers who died in the performance of their duty. 
On the ridge is the spot where her majesty, 
Queen Victoria, was proclaimed Empress of India 
on the first of January, 1877. This was an oc- 
casion of wonderful interest. Lord Lytton oc- 
cupied a place in a center pavilion, while in front 
of him were all the great princes and chiefs of 
India, and behind him sat the leading European 
officials and envoys from places as distant as 
Siam, and near him was drawn up a British and 
Indian army of fifty thousand men. 

Old Delhi and its neighborhood contain places 
of very great interest. Mention has already 
been made of the Asoka Pillar, and much more 
might be said regarding it and its Pali inscrip- 
tion. The Killa Kona Mosque is a noble speci- 
men of the architecture of the " late Pathan 



398 AROUND THE WORLD 

period." There are also tombs here worthy of 
elaborate descriptions, especially that of Jehanara, 
the daughter of Shah Jehan. The tombs of 
Nizamu-din Auliya, and Humayun, and also 
that of Safdar Jang are worthy a full descrip- 
tion. 

Marvelous Pillars. — But there is no ob- 
ject of greater interest than the Kutub Minar. 
This is about eleven miles from Delhi, and is 
said to be one of the highest pillars in the world, 
being two hundred and forty-two feet high. Its 
diameter at the base is forty-seven feet, and 
the pillar is ascended by three hundred and 
seventy-nine stone steps. The view from the 
summit of this pillar is truly magnificent. It 
is said to be on the site of the original Hindu 
city of Dilli. It is supposed to be a tower of 
victory, but its origin is lost in obscurity. Some 
say that it was built by Rai Pithora, that his 
daughter might see the Jumna from its top ; but 
others claim that it is of Hindu origin, although 
probably it was completed by the Mohammedan 
conquerors. It rises in a succession of five stories 
marked by balconies and decorated by bands of 
inscription. The first three stories are of red 
sandstone, and the two upper stories are faced 
with white marble. The upper portion was re- 
built in 1368, when the cupola was added. An 
earthquake on the first of August, 1803, seriously 
injured the pillar and threw the cupola to the 
ground. In 1829 it was unwisely restored, the 
inscriptions being injured, and the battlements 



DELHI 399 

and balconies being removed and replaced by 
the present balustrade. The honeycomb work 
beneath the brackets of the lower balconies is 
the same in style as portions of the Alhambra. 

There is not space to speak at length of the 
old observatory on the road from the old to the 
new Delhi, the Iron Pillar, which is one of the 
strangest antiquities in India, and of tombs and 
other public buildings in and about this remark- 
able city of Delhi. It is not too much to say 
that the Kutub Minar is one of the wonders of 
India. There is in it remarkable harmony of 
gracefulness and strength. It is wonderful that 
it should have remained through so many cen- 
turies with its masonry so nearly intact and its 
delicate decorations so beautifully preserved ; 
perhaps it had some relation to the two courts 
of the ancient Hindu temple near which it 
stands. The Iron Pillar, to which allusion has 
been made, has an inscription in Sanskrit sig- 
nifying that the power of the Hindus will abide 
so long as this pillar endures. It is called "The 
Arm of Fame of Rajah Dhava." Probably the 
pillar was originally surmounted by Vishnu, of 
which deity the rajah was a worshiper. Some 
believe that the pillar was put in its position by 
the Hindus as early as a. d. 319. Its depth in 
the ground is twenty-eight feet, its height above 
the ground twenty-two feet, and its weight is 
estimated to be at least seventeen tons. 

Treasure and Slaughter. — Tourists are 
permitted, under certain conditions, to visit the 



4-00 AROUND THE WORLD 

palace of the late king of Delhi. Many evi- 
dences of its former elegance and splendor are 
still there, and some remains of the famous Pea- 
cock Throne are still to be seen. Delhi never 
recovered from the blow inflicted upon it by 
Nadir Shah, who murdered its people and carried 
away its treasures, valued at least at one hundred 
million pounds sterling. The Koh-i-noor dia- 
mond was among his prizes on that occasion. 
This diamond, " Mountain of Light," now forms 
a part of Queen Victoria's jewels, after a strange 
and romantic history. 

When Nadir Shah sacked Delhi, and broke 
up the Peacock Throne, to his disappointment 
he failed to find the great Koh-i-noor, which he 
knew formed one of the eyes of one peacock. 
The Mogul emperor did not seem to have it in 
his possession, but a woman informed the con- 
queror that it was concealed in the turban of the 
defeated emperor. The conqueror did not dare 
institute a search for the missing treasure, as a 
treaty had been concluded, and most of the 
jewels were in his hands. With true Oriental 
shrewdness he resorted to a trick, which proved 
successful. Nadir proposed to the defeated shah 
that a great feast should be held to show the 
amity of their present relations. At the height 
of the elaborate ceremonies Nadir proposed to 
the defeated emperor, as a proof of good faith, 
an exchange of turbans. This was a critical 
moment for both. The turban of the conqueror 
glittered with gems ; that of the defeated shah 
was plain in the extreme, but hidden in its folds 



DELHI 401 

was the priceless Koh-i-noor. There was no 
time for reflection ; action must be prompt. 
What could the possessor of the great gem do ? 
The exchange was made. Nadir retired to his 
tent, hastily removed the turban, and joyously 
saw that the Koh-i-noor was his. 

For years this priceless diamond was a part of 
the treasury in Lahore. But in 1849 tne East 
India Company took this treasury in part pay- 
ment of the debt which the Lahore government 
owed when the Punjab was annexed to the British 
possessions. It was a part of this stipulation 
that the Koh-i-noor should be given to Queen 
Victoria. Soon after the East India Board met, 
and the diamond was committed to Lord Law- 
rence, to be delivered to the queen. He put it 
into the pocket of his waistcoat, went home, 
changed his clothes, and forgot all about the 
treasure in the pocket. Soon after a message 
came from the queen ordering the diamond to 
be sent her. Sir John Lawrence said to his 
brother Henry, "Well, send it at once." Henry 
replied, "Why, you have it." John was filled 
with astonishment and alarm. He searched 
diligently for the garment, and anxiously ex- 
amined its pockets, and there lay the Koh-i-noor. 
It has undergone many changes in cutting and 
dressing and setting ; but it now securely rests 
in Windsor Castle. This is but a brief outline 
of a long, mysterious, and fascinating history as 
told in part by Bishop Hurst, and much more 
fully by several historians. 

Delhi will always be closely identified with 

2A 



402 AROUND THE WORLD 

the great Indian Mutiny. It is not too much to 
say that for a time Delhi was its very center and 
the citadel of its strength. It was most natural 
that around, this city of Hindu and Mohammedan 
history a romantic interest should have gathered 
for those who were anxious to throw off British 
rule, and to crown Delhi with something of its 
ancient glory. There was a sufficient number 
of English soldiers in the cantonment to have 
crushed the mutiny, but General Hewitt did not 
appreciate the necessity for vigorous action, and 
soon the jails were opened, and the worst men 
in the city were massacring the women and chil- 
dren, and burning the houses. The mutineers 
secured possession of Delhi and held it with a 
firm hand. Not until September were the 
British able to secure possession again. They 
knew well that they must be masters of Delhi 
or they could not really perpetuate their power 
in India, but the rebels had so intrenched them- 
selves that it seemed well-nigh impossible to dis- 
lodge them. Delhi, it was well known, would 
minister as no other town in India to the pride 
of a glorious history. After the mutiny broke 
out Shah Mohammed Bahadoser, then ninety 
years old, took charge of the city, resuming the 
imperial state which once he enjoyed. 

After repeated failures the British, under Gen- 
eral Nicholson, retook Delhi. The walls near 
the Cashmere gate still bear traces of the shot 
and shell of those terrible days. The gate was 
blown open by having powder bags placed 
against it which were exploded by a lighted 



DELHI 403 

fuse. Those engaged in this work well knew 
that many of them must give their lives in their 
devotion to their duty, but they did not hesitate 
for a moment. The gate was blown open and 
the remnant of brave columns marched into the 
city. There was still much terrible fighting to 
be done, but in two weeks more, on the twenty- 
third of September, the final struggle was made 
and the English flag floated over the great fort ; 
but General Nicholson fell in the moment of 
victory. No loyalty to the British crown was 
ever appreciated more by British hearts around 
the globe than that displayed in India in restor- 
ing British sovereignty in that far-off land. 



XXXII 

AGRA 

AGRA was visited while going from Bombay 
to Calcutta ; and a night ride from Agra 
brought the writer in the early morning to 
Cawnpore. The name Agra is applied to the 
province and district, or zillah, and to the city. 
The city is the capital of the district and the 
province of the same name. It is located on 
the right bank of the Jumna, one of the sacred 
rivers of India. It is connected by railway with 
all the principal cities of the country. It is 
about one hundred and twenty miles southeast of 
Delhi and eight hundred and forty miles north- 
west of Calcutta. Its population, including its 
two suburbs and the garrison, is one hundred 
and sixty-five thousand. It is the center of a 
large trade in cotton, sugar, indigo, salt, and 
silks. Formerly Agra was the provincial capi- 
tal, but since the mutiny the seat of govern- 
ment has been in Allahabad. The city is about 
four miles long and three wide, and it sweeps in 
a graceful semi-circle along the banks of the 
river. The houses, for the most part, are of the 
red sandstone of the neighboring hills. The 
principal street intersects the town from north 
to south. This street is spacious and clean, but 
404 



AGRA 405 

other streets which run along the banks of the 
river are irregular and narrow. The ancient 
walls embrace an area of nearly eleven square 
miles, and about one half of this space is now 
occupied. 

The Mogul Capital. — The very early his- 
tory of the city is lost in obscurity ; not until 
the Mohammedan period is anything certainly 
known. The first Mohammedan dynasty to 
choose Agra as a residence was the house of 
Lodi. Previous to that time Agra was the dis- 
trict of Biana. In the sixteenth century Akbar 
fortified and embellished the city, and in 1658 
the capital was removed to Delhi. There are 
remains of ancient gardens, belonging, it is said, 
to the palaces of the Lodis ; but much of doubt 
characterizes all the relations of this dynasty to 
the city. It is certain that the walls and the 
magazine to the south of the water-gate be- 
longed to the Akbar audience hall. 

To Shah Jehan belongs the greatest credit for 
the architectural glory of Agra. He resided 
here from 1632 to 1637, and he built the Pearl 
Mosque, the Cathedral Mosque, and the glorious 
Taj. Finally, he was deposed by his son, Au- 
rangzib, who, as already stated, removed the 
seat of government to Delhi. The only favor 
which Shah Jehan asked of his unnatural son 
was, that the prison cell should be so placed that 
the royal prisoner could look out on the Taj, 
beneath whose dome the dust of his beloved 
wife reposed; and that favor, it is said, was 



406 AROUND THE WORLD 

granted. In 1764 Agra was taken by Suraj 
Mall with an army of Jats, and the city was 
greatly injured. In 1770 it was captured by 
the Mahrattas, who in turn were expelled in 
1774 ; thus it was held by various native rulers, 
but at times anarchy prevailed throughout the 
city. Finally it was taken by Lord Lake, on 
October 17, 1803. Several native regiments 
joined the English forces at that time, and 
since that time Agra has been a possession of 
the British. 

It had its part in the terrible tragedy of the 
Sepoy mutiny. Two companies mutinied on 
May 30, 1857, that na d been sent to Muttra to 
bring the treasure there into Agra, but they de- 
serted the British and marched off to Delhi. 
Other regiments mutinied soon afterward, but 
on July 5 they were attacked by the soldiers who 
had remained loyal. The rebels were well 
posted and fought with desperation, and it was 
no small task to reduce them to obedience. In 
the effort many Europeans were murdered, the 
cantonments were burned, and important rec- 
ords were destroyed. Finally six thousand men, 
women, and children, of whom one thousand five 
hundred were Hindus and Mohammedans, were 
shut up in the fort of Agra. Among these were 
Catholic priests and nuns from France and Rome 
and Protestant missionaries from America, as 
well as a company of American showmen and 
travelers. After prolonged delays and great 
anxieties, Agra was relieved from all danger, 
and in February, 1858, the seat of government 



AGRA 407 

of the northwest provinces was removed, as al- 
ready indicated, to Allahabad. 

The Taj Mahal. — All tourists are disposed 
to go as soon as possible to see the Taj Mahal. 
This is the tomb of the wife of the Emperor 
Shah Jehan. The word taj means a diadem, 
or crown ; it is used of a tall cap worn by Mo- 
hammedan dervishes. The word is applied to 
this mausoleum because its dome is shaped like 
this small cap, and so is a crown, or diadem ; and 
also because it is the tomb of the chief wife of 
the great Shah. Its full name is, Taj bibi ke 
Roza, "The Crown Lady's Tomb." It is, with- 
out doubt, the most interesting building in In- 
dia, and it is claimed by many that it is the 
most beautiful building, certainly the most beau- 
tiful mausoleum, in the whole world. I had the 
good fortune to see it in bright moonlight, the 
next day in clear morning sunshine, and after- 
ward in the soft light of the evening. It is al- 
most impossible to exaggerate the completeness 
of its symmetry or the harmony of the materials 
of which it is composed. It is in a garden 
which is itself worthy of consideration because 
of its plants, flowers, shrubs, and lakes, and the 
perfection in which it is kept. 

The enclosure, including the gardens and 
outer courts, measures nearly two thousand feet 
long by more than one thousand wide. The 
principal gateway is a massive and graceful 
structure. It leads into the gardens, and from 
it along the marble canal, bordered by cypress 



4o8 AROUND THE WORLD 

trees, one walks to the beautiful tomb. The 
tomb stands on a raised platform of marble, 
which rests on a terrace of red sandstone. This 
platform is eighteen feet high and three hundred 
and thirteen feet square, and at each corner there 
rise graceful minarets one hundred and thirty- 
three feet high. Probably there are no mina- 
rets in India, or in any other country, more ex- 
quisite in their proportions than these. 

In the center of the marble platform of which 
I have spoken, stands the mausoleum itself, an 
irregular octagon of one hundred and eighty- 
six feet in length, the corners being cut off to 
the extent of thirty-three feet and nine inches. 
The principal dome is fifty-eight feet in diam- 
eter and eighty feet in height. Under this 
there is an enclosure formed by the screen of 
pierced work of white marble. It would be 
difficult to imagine anything more beautiful 
than is this screen. In a country where the 
light was less bright such a screen might defeat 
its object, but here it simply softens the light 
and beautifies all within the enclosure. Mr. 
Fergusson, in his history of architecture, calls 
this screen the " chef-d'' ceuvre of elegance in In- 
dian art." Within this screen are the tombs of 
the Emperor Shah Jehan and his favorite wife. 
The bodies rest in a vault level with the surface 
of the ground, and under plainer tombstones 
exactly beneath those which are seen in the 
wall above. This screen, of which I have 
spoken, beautifully tempers the glare of the 
bright light in a building composed of white 



AGRA 409 

marble. It would be impossible to exaggerate 
the chastened beauty of that central chamber. 
The building and the garden are equally well 
adapted to the requirements of a pleasure palace 
and to the needs of an impressive sepulchre. 

Here was one of the finest examples of the 
inlaying of precious stones which graced the 
architectural style of the period. All the span- 
drils of the Taj and all the more important an- 
gles were inlaid with precious stones ; these were 
in places combined with wreaths, scrolls, and 
frets, the beauty of the design being matched 
by the harmony in color. All these brilliant 
colors were chastened by the pure white marble 
in which they were laid. The jewels have been 
removed to England and their place filled with 
glass of similar colors ; it would have been im- 
possible, except by keeping a large force of sol- 
diers always on guard, to protect jewels of so 
great value. Probably in no case in the history 
of the world were more beautiful styles of orna- 
ment so well adapted to the characteristics of 
the architecture of which they formed a part. 
The exquisite taste displayed is as remarkable as 
the conception of the relation between the archi- 
tecture and its ornamentation, both reflecting 
great credit on the judgment of the architects 
of the period. There has been much discussion 
as to who was the principal architect, and it is 
generally agreed that that honor belongs to 
Austin de Bordeaux, who was known to have 
been then in the employment of the emperor. 

This great building was commenced, it is said, 



41 AROUND THE WORLD 

in 1630, and twenty thousand workmen spent 
twenty years upon it before it was completed ; 
thus, cheap as labor then was in India, this su- 
perb tomb cost at least fifteen, perhaps twenty, 
million dollars. 

All this was for the emperor's favorite wife, 
Arjimand Banu Begum, who was entitled Mumtaz 
Mahal, literally, the "Chosen of the Palace," or, 
according to a freer translation, the " Pride of the 
Palace." She was the daughter of Asaf Khan; 
her grandfather was Mirza Ghiyas, a Persian who 
came from Teheran to seek his fortune in India. 
He speedily rose to power and acquired the title 
of Itimadu Doulah. She became the wife of 
Shah Jehan in 161 5 ; she bore him seven chil- 
dren, and died at the time of the birth of her 
eighth child, in 1629, a ^ Burhanpur, in the Dec- 
can. Her body was brought to Agra for burial 
and was laid in the garden where the Taj now 
stands, until this mausoleum was completed. 
He had promised to erect for her in that gar- 
den a palace whose beauty should attract the 
people from the ends of the earth. In his grief 
over her sudden death his plans for her palace 
were changed so as to create this superb mau- 
soleum, and its beauty now attracts visitors from 
the ends of the earth. This glorious Taj is a 
song in marble, a vision of beauty, a prophecy 
of immortality ! It will live forever in the mem- 
ory as last seen in the soft, short Indian gloam- 
ing from the distance of more than a mile on 
the other side of the Jumna. 

The Taj was repaired just previous to the visit 



AGRA 411 

which the Prince of Wales made to India. The 
tomb is constructed of brick veneered with 
marble, and much of this veneering needed to 
be repaired in order to restore the building to 
its original perfection. Never will any visitor 
forget the impression produced upon him by the 
superb dome. The height from the base to the 
top of this dome must be nearly three hundred 
feet, and it seems to float in the air rather than 
to rest upon the ground. A remarkable echo 
was produced by repeating a few lines of poetry 
as I stood beneath the arched roof of the cupola. 
Through this dimly lighted vault there rolled 
the soft and sweet repetitions of the words which 
I had read of as forming the inscription on the 
tomb, and which I pronounced: "To the mem- 
ory of an undying love," making a music so 
delicate and pathetic as to touch the heart and 
moisten the eye. The word love rolled tremu- 
lously to heaven; softened and sweetened, it 
came back to earth ; then it rolled around the 
walls, and then ascended again to heaven. Still 
more softly and sweetly it came back to earth, 
giving an experience never before known, and 
perhaps never again to be enjoyed. Standing 
beneath this dome and over the tombs where 
sleeps the royal dust, this echo assuredly exer- 
cised a weird charm and became a thrilling mys- 
tery. 

But few things come up to their reputation. 
One of these is the inland sea of Japan, another 
is the Alhambra, in Granada, and the last and 
greatest is the Taj in Agra. The gateway lead- 



412 AROUND THE WORLD 

ing to so superb a garden and so glorious a mauso- 
leum would itself attract attention. Mr. Fergus- 
son calls it a worthy pendant to the Taj itself. 
It is made of red sandstone, inlaid with orna- 
ments and inscriptions from the Koran. The 
stream of water which runs the whole length of 
the garden, from the entrance gateway to the 
Taj, adds greatly to the effect of the entire scene. 
In it the Taj is mirrored at times, and the rich 
foliage gives the requisite border to the picture 
as the water reflects the symmetrical proportions 
of the superb Taj. One cannot help but admire 
the love which led Shah Jehan to erect this 
glorious mausoleum " to the memory of an un- 
dying love " ; but neither can one help think- 
ing of his various other wives to whom he gave 
the cold shoulder by his utter neglect. Still it 
will ever be remarkable that such a mausoleum 
was erected and such an inscription carved by a 
Mohammedan ruler to any woman ; and building 
it for her, it afterward became his own mauso- 
leum, so that his unselfish love gives himself, 
with his wife, undying fame. 

The Fort and Other Buildings. — There 
are many other objects of interest in Agra. The 
fort must always claim the attention of every 
tourist. It justifies the criticism that the " Mo- 
guls designed like Titans and finished like jew- 
elers." This building stands on the right bank 
of the Jumna. The walls are very high and 
most imposing in appearance, but they would be 
powerless as a defense against the methods of 



AGRA 413 

modern warfare. Within the fort are many 
most beautiful buildings ; notably among these 
are the " Diwan-i-Am " (Judgment Hall) ; the 
" Moti Musjid " (Pearl Mosque) ; the " Diwan-i- 
Khas " (Audience Hall) ; the " Jehangir Mahal " 
(Palace of Jehangir.) 

The Moti Musjid, as the name implies, is a 
gem or pearl. It certainly is one of the most 
perfect buildings of its class to be found in the 
world, and its cost was enormous. It was built 
by Shah Jehan. The photographs of it, secured 
at the time, delight the eye and refresh the 
memory. The Diwan-i-Am was built by Ak- 
bar, according to the general opinion, although 
some writers attribute it also to Shah Jehan. 
This building is two hundred and one feet long 
from north to south, and the roof is supported by 
graceful colums of red sandstone. The Diwan- 
i-Khas is a miracle of beauty ; the floors, inlaid 
work on white marble, are a never-ceasing source 
of delight. From this building the emperor 
could look over the broad river to the gardens 
and buildings on the opposite shore. The Je- 
hangir Mahal is a red stone palace built by 
Jehangir after the death of Akbar. The masonic 
symbol of the double triangle inlaid in white 
marble is here frequently seen and has attracted 
great attention. The Jumna Musjid faces the 
Delhi gate of the fort. This building is marked 
by all the vigor and originality of the early 
Mogul style ; this also was constructed by the 
Emperor Shah Jehan, as the inscription over the 
main archway shows. He built it in the name 



414 AROUND THE WORLD 

of his daughter Jehatiara, who shared her father's 
captivity after he was deposed by his son Aurang- 
zib. 

There are in Agra a number of churches and 
other public buildings worthy of attention ; the 
Agra College, the Government College, and the 
Medical College, are all interesting buildings 
and are suggestive of the progress making in 
modern science. The Promenade Gardens, 
known as the Asafa Bagh, are also attractive to 
visitors and to the people of the town. One of 
the finest buildings in Agra is the tomb of Iti- 
madu Doulah, and there are a number of tombs 
in this magnificent mausoleum. Akbar's tomb 
is at Secundra, a distance of about four miles 
from Agra. The gateway to this tomb is mag- 
nificent to an unusual degree, even in the midst 
of such superb structures as one sees in Agra. 

Perhaps, however, no building in the town 
interested me more than the Agra Havelock 
Baptist Chapel. The pastor is Rev. G. R. M. 
Roche. There is vigorous church work going 
on in connection with this earnest body of Chris- 
tians. They have three services every Sunday, 
and a service of some sort every day in the 
week. It is very fitting that they should honor 
the name of Havelock in connection with this 
church. 

Most travelers go also to Futtehpore Sikri, 
which is about twenty-two miles from Agra on 
the Jeypore road. This was formerly the Wind- 
sor of Agra, and was a favorite residence of Ak- 
bar. There are buildings here of great historic 



AGRA 415 

interest and intrinsic beauty ; there is no end to 
the beautiful buildings that these Mogul em- 
perors have erected. The royal apartments in 
the palace of Akbar, the grotto of glass, the bath- 
rooms, the courts, chambers, fountains, pavilions, 
reception halls, throne-rooms, all of marble and 
mosaic — beauty, delicacy, taste, and wealth are 
here displayed to such a degree that the most 
matter-of-fact description would seem to be an 
unpardonable exaggeration. All this will apply 
to the tomb of Akbar at Secundra. Were it 
not that this building is only one of many other 
buildings, it would be itself a wonder almost 
beyond description ; but the greater charm and 
loveliness of the Taj rob this magnificent tomb 
of some of its impression of beauty and glory. It 
was from this grand architectural structure that 
the Koh-i-noor was at one time taken. One 
scarcely knows where to stop, if his supply of 
adjectives be not exhausted, in any attempt to 
describe the exquisite taste, varied beauty, splen- 
dor, and magnificence of these Mogul structures. 



XXXIII 

WESTERN INDIA 

WE must hasten to Bombay, and on the 
way visit the next town in our itiner- 
ary, which is Ajinere. 

AjMERE. — This city has a population of about 
seventy thousand, and is the capital of the Brit- 
ish district in Rajputana ; it is also the head- 
quarters of the Rajputana railway and is the 
junction for the military station of Nusseerabad. 
The city is surrounded by a stone wall with five 
gateways, and is a place of great antiquity and 
celebrity. The city itself lies in a plain, and on 
a hill rising abruptly from it is the celebrated 
rocky and picturesque Taragarh Hill, three 
thousand feet above the sea. The fort on this 
hill, so advantageously located, dominates the 
extensive plain. 

The city is marked by its Hindu character- 
istics and associations. Like Jeypore, it once 
was the capital of a clan of rajputs, but now no 
native rajah is here and there is not even the 
semblance of a court. The city contains many 
fine houses and is evidently prosperous, although 
not perhaps to the same degree as Jeypore. Its 
more recent origin is traced to A. d. 145, when it 
416 



WESTERN INDIA 417 

was supposed to be founded by one of the Cho- 
tan kings. Strange thoughts come to a tourist 
as he walks the streets of a city that was old 
long before the Christian era, and that was built, 
probably, by the ancient Aryans. But the Hin- 
dus early acquired the characteristics by which 
they are known in later history. 

This tower and city were long the objects of 
temptation to all the invaders in this part of 
India. When the Afghans invaded India at 
the end of the twelfth century, they directed all 
their ambition to the capture of this fort, and 
they finally succeeded. The rajputs, however, 
retook the city and reoccupied the fort, but it 
was captured again by the Moguls, and in the 
seventeenth century it became an imperial resi- 
dence of the invaders. When the time came 
for the overthrow of the Mogul empire the raj- 
puts again captured their hill and fort. The 
fierce Mahrattas, however, strove to wrest it 
from its rajputanian owners, and they were suc- 
cessful ; but on June 25, 1818, the fortress, with 
the city of Ajmere, was ceded to the British by 
the Mahratta chief Sindhia, who was obliged to 
yield to the superior power of the British arms. 
It seems to be the fate of all these warring 
tribes eventually to submit to the resistless 
march of the Anglo-Saxons. 

The Akbar palace is outside the city proper, 
and not far from the railway station. The Resi- 
dency is on the brink of a beautiful artificial 
lake called Ana Saugar, which was constructed 
by Rajah Ana as early as the middle of the 

2B 



41 8 AROUND THE WORLD 

eleventh century. On the embankment, that 
great emperor, Shah Jehan, erected a noble range 
of marble pavilions. The central pavilion was 
often used by him as a place of repose, and it 
has now been restored at great cost. Flying 
foxes are often seen hanging in the trees which 
stand on the embankment. 

One of the great sights in Ajmere is the Dar- 
gah Bagh, or "Garden of Splendor.' 1 It is an 
object of veneration to Hindus and Mohammed- 
ans alike. It is the burial place of a saint 
of some sort who came to Ajmere, it is said, 
in A. d. 1235. This saint had the remarkable 
name of Aftab-i-Mulk-i-hind. This is not even 
half his name, the other part is almost unspell- 
able and unpronounceable. He came from the 
city of San jar in Persia. Many legends are re- 
lated of this saint and of his strange habits of 
life. No one is allowed to enter the Dargah 
Bagh without putting woolen socks over his 
shoes. Among the buildings connected with 
the Dargah Bagh is the partially ruined mosque 
erected by Akbar, and another mosque of white 
marble, the gift of Shah Jehan. There is still 
another mosque known as Arhai-din-ka-Jompra, 
meaning the " Hut of two and a half days," from 
the tradition that it was built in two and a half 
days. This is supposed to have been built 
about 1200, from the materials of a Jain tem- 
ple. Modern architects who have given the 
matter careful study, believe that it was built 
by the architect who erected the Kutub Mosque 
near Delhi, and it is believed to rank as one 



WESTERN INDIA 419 

of the finest specimens of early Mohammedan 
architecture. 

Near the railway station are extensive work- 
shops in which many thousands of Hindu and 
Mohammedan workmen are employed, Ajmere 
being the headquarters of seventeen hundred 
miles of what is called the meter-gauge railway. 
A day can be thoroughly well spent in this very 
old and equally interesting city. It is difficult 
to know how to compress all that one would 
like to say in describing a visit of part of a day 
between two trains within and without the walls 
of this old and famous raj put capital. 

Ahmedabad. — Before reaching Bombay we 
must stop for a little time at least to visit Ahme- 
dabad, the ancient capital of the sultans of 
Guzerat. This is the second city in the Bom- 
bay Presidency. It was the stronghold of the 
Northern Jains, and in the latter part of the six- 
teenth century was one of the largest cities in 
Western India. Bishop Hurst remarks that " in 
the splendor of its architecture and the wealth 
of its citizens it is the Hindu Florence." With- 
out doubt the Mohammedan conquerors found 
here a city of great wealth and beauty ; the com- 
pleteness of its decorations and the massiveness 
of its architecture must have surpassed anything 
that they had previously beheld. Their con- 
quest was accomplished about the end of the 
fourteenth century by viceroys of the emperor 
of Delhi. 

They immediately began to convert this beau- 



420 AROUND THE WORLD 

tiful Hindu city into a Mohammedan metropo- 
lis. Marble and other building materials were 
brought from a long distance, and magnificent 
mosques, palaces, and tombs were here erected. 
A citadel and fort of great strength were built 
and the city was laid out in broad streets. Mer- 
chants, manufacturers, and skillful craftsmen 
under Ahmad Shah made Ahmedabad a center 
of trade and of manufacture. During the re- 
mainder of the fifteenth century this city grew 
constantly in size, wealth, and in the number 
and splendor of its public buildings. But after 
the reign of Sultan Mohammed Begada the for- 
tunes of Ahmedabad began to decline. 

The Portuguese crippled its trade by their vig- 
orous competition, and the quarrels of the tur- 
bulent nobles constantly interfered with the suc- 
cess of the city in business and in its own ex- 
pansion and ornamentation. Then came the 
great Akbar in 1572, called in by a party of the 
Guzerat nobles, and under him, as we have seen, 
Ahmedabad became a province of the Mogul 
emperor. It soon became the greatest city in 
India for rich silks and curiously wrought gold 
cloth in which were figures of flowers and birds 
and other curious designs. But the Mogul 
nobles experienced internal disorders which 
weakened them as it weakened their predeces- 
sors, and the town was finally pillaged by the 
Mahrattas. 

In 1780, after a gallant assault, it was taken 
by the English, but as the result of certain 
treaty arrangements it was restored to the Mah- 



WESTERN INDIA 421 

rattas, and remained in their power until 1818 
when, on the overthrow of the Peshwa's gov- 
ernment, it once more came into the hands of 
the British. It is now a city of about one hun- 
dred and fifty thousand inhabitants ; it stands 
on the left bank of the Sabarmati River, which 
skirts its western wall. Its water supply is 
taken from wells sunk in the bed of the river. 

All travelers should make an especial effort 
to visit this remarkable city. Here, as seldom 
in India or any other country, the old and the 
new lie side by side. In this respect this city is 
like what Montreal and Quebec were a genera- 
tion ago, when the old French styles of streets 
and buildings lay in close proximity to modern 
British examples of both. So in this Indian 
city the British ideas have broadened some of 
the streets and have given an air of cleanliness 
and prosperity to sections of the city ; but evi- 
dences of the old Hindu and Mohammedan civ- 
ilizations still exist. 

A strange feature of many of the streets is 
the " Jaina feeding-places for birds." These are 
extremely picturesque, being richly ornamented 
with carving and often gay with bright colors. 
The houses in many of the streets are also richly 
ornamented with wood carving. 

It is fitting that we should look at some of 
the famous places in this city, but we can only 
glance at their many charms, as we must resume 
our journey. The Jumma Musjid, or principal 
mosque, is near the center of the city. It was 
built by Sultan Ahmad I., in 1424. Mr. Fer- 



422 AROUND THE WORLD 

gusson calls it " one of the most beautiful 
mosques in the East." Embedded in the pave- 
ment on the threshold lies a black slab, which 
is supposed to be a Jain idol turned upside down, 
that on it the faithful might tread. Near it is 
a white marble crescent on which the imam 
stands while he prays. There is a gallery in 
which the women of the royal family, as it is 
supposed, met to worship. Its roof is supported 
by two hundred and sixty columns, and it has 
fifteen cupolas surrounded by galleries ; these 
have perforated stone screens of exquisite beauty 
and so designed as to exclude the glare of the 
sun and admit simply a soft and chastened light. 
On marble slabs, and in other parts of the 
mosque, are Arabic inscriptions from the Koran, 
some of which would not be inappropriate in 
any of our Christian churches. 

The mausoleum of Sultan Ahmad is ap- 
proached by a tower in the east wall of the 
Musjid. It is a massive building, enclosing 
several white marble tombs. Its windows are 
of perforated stone work, and its central cham- 
ber, which is thirty-six feet square, is superbly 
paved with marble of different colors. A few 
yards to the east and across the street are the 
tombs of the queens of Ahmad Shah. This 
enclosure is entered by a lofty gateway. In the 
center of the rectangular court are eight large 
and several small cenotaphs. This building is 
one of the finest in this remarkable city. 

Tombs and Mosques. — Rani Spiri's mosque 



WESTERN INDIA 423 

and tomb some would say are the most beauti- 
ful monuments in Ahmedabad. She was the 
wife of a son of Ahmad Shah, and this mosque 
and tomb were completed in 1431, under her 
own direction and, as some believe, according 
to her own design. The two minarets are about 
fifty feet high and their four compartments taper 
to the top. They have zones of superb Hindu 
work, reaching from the pedestal to the topmost 
gallery. 

Fine as all the buildings and monuments are 
of which I have spoken, perhaps the finest of all 
is the mosque of Sidi Said. One side of it is a 
part of the wall which includes the jail building, 
but the jail was once a palace occupied by nobles 
from Delhi. It was afterward changed into an 
arsenal and finally into the provincial jail. Two 
of the windows are filled with delicate stone 
tracery, representing the trunk and branches 
of a tree, all most delicately and beautifully 
wrought. These vegetable forms are most skill- 
fully employed in these windows. One is filled 
with indescribable wonder at the patience, taste, 
and skill of these ancient workmen. Mr. Fer- 
gusson, in his history of Indian architecture, in 
speaking of the white marble tracery of the trees, 
stems, and branches, says : " It is probably more 
like the work of nature than any other architec- 
tural detail that has yet ever been designed by 
the best architects of Greece or of the Middle 
Ages." There are here also the Fire Temple and 
Towers of Silence of the Parsis. 

I cannot take time and space here to speak in 



424 AROUND THE WORLD 

detail of the Dastur Khan's mosque, with its 
wonderful open screen work ; or the Haibat 
Khan's mosque, which was one of the earliest 
tombs to combine Mohammedan and Hindu 
architectural designs ; or of the Tin Darwazah, 
or " three gateways " ; or the mosque of Malik 
Shaban ; or of several other mosques, tombs, and 
other monuments and public buildings. Let 
me urge again all tourists to India to arrange 
their plans so as to spend a day, if possible, or 
at least half a day, in this city so rich in historic 
interest and so marvelous in architectural skill 
and beauty ; a city celebrated still for its handi- 
craftsmen, its goldsmiths, jewelers, brass workers, 
stone masons, lacquer workers, its figured silks, 
its silver and gold tissues, its brocades, the finest 
produced in India, and its gold and silver lace 
and thread. 

It is an interesting fact that the Nagar-Seth, 
or City Lord of Ahmedabad, is the titular head 
of all the guilds. He is even treated by the gov- 
ernment as a representative, and is the highest 
personage in the city. Among all the wonder- 
ful Indian cities Ahmedabad must always hold 
a prominent place. 

Jeypore or Jaipur. — Of Jeypore, or Jaipur, I 
had read and heard considerable, and I felt un- 
usual curiosity to see it. It is in many respects 
a unique city. It is generally reputed to be the 
finest native city in all India. It is the capital 
of the State of the same name in Rajputana, and 
is the largest town and chief commercial center 



WESTERN INDIA 425 

of Rajputana. Its population is put down at 
one hundred and forty thousand. It is the 
modern capital, while Amber is the ancient 
capital. Jeypore is also the residence of the 
maharajah. His State covers fifteen thousand 
square miles, and there is under him a popula- 
tion of two and a half millions. Jeypore is the 
headquarters of the British Resident. 

Some affirm that it is not only the most 
beautiful native city, but the most beautiful 
city, native or British, in India. The town is 
about two miles long and more than a mile 
wide, and is surrounded by a wall of masonry 
with strong gateways and lofty towers. It is 
laid out in rectangular blocks and is divided 
into six equal parts by its cross streets. The 
principal street is at least one hundred and fifty 
feet wide, and runs the entire length of the town. 

The prince who rules over this territory is a 
man in middle life, and has the reputation of 
being intelligent, and courteous toward all vis- 
itors, and especially all Americans. He exer- 
cises his great authority over his people with 
considerate wisdom and with progressive ideas. 
He has traveled in many countries and com- 
mands the respect of the British authorities as 
well as that of all his native subjects. His palace 
is in the center of the city and is said to cover 
about one-seventh of the total area of the town ; 
with its gardens, it is at least half a mile long, 
and is eight stories high. It is beautifully 
adorned and the space is divided into courts, 
gardens, and public halls ; there is also a public 



426 AROUND THE WORLD 

mint, observatory, hospital, and a large arsenal. 
The rnaharajah supports a military organization, 
which in time of necessity will be at the service 
of the British government in repelling a foreign 
invader, or in suppressing internal disorders. 

This town has a modern and Occidental look, 
and in this respect is distinguished from many 
of the towns in India and other parts of the 
Orient. It is European rather than Oriental ; 
the people, however, are still Oriental, although 
the town is laid out after European models. 
They are still Hindus, though living in a city 
constructed and governed after Christian models. 
It is understood that the rnaharajah employs able 
foreign teachers and that all the schools are free 
to his people. The maharajah's college has made 
greater progress than any other college in Raj- 
putana. It is a remarkable thing that it has 
now a daily class attendance of about one thou- 
sand. It is affiliated with the Calcutta Univer- 
sity. There are schools for music, for the fine 
arts, and others devoted to the primary branches 
of education, such as arithmetic, history, and 
still other elementary studies. 

This prince is public spirited and expends his 
revenues on buildings for the education of his 
people rather than on peacock thrones, as did 
some of the earlier Indian princes. This city in 
the heart of India is thus a mixture of Oriental 
conservatism and European progress. It is not 
a little noticeable that the streets of the town 
are lighted by gas. Everything about the city 
gives the impression of newness and progress. 



WESTERN INDIA 427 

One grows weary of ruins and is rather glad to 
visit a city in which there are no ruins. The 
prosperity of this vicinity under a native prince 
has created no small amount of discussion as to 
the wisdom of British rule in India. 

There is a marked contrast between this city 
and many directly under British control. There 
poverty abounds ; here there are no mud cabins 
and no marked poverty. Beggars are rare in 
Jeypore and people are comfortably clothed and 
are well lodged. It must be understood, how- 
ever, that Jeypore is a marked exception to the 
cities under native control. Many other portions 
of India, over which native princes directly rule, 
present marked exceptions to the progress and 
prosperity seen in this city. The British con- 
quered India from its Mohammedan invaders. 
These Mohammedans ruled this vast country 
with a rod of iron, and the rule of the British, 
taken as a whole, is a vast improvement on the 
government of the maharajah and of the Moham- 
medans ; but there is no desire to discredit the 
marked evidences of prosperity seen in this town 
under a native prince. 

The town derives its name from the famous 
Maharajah Siwai Jey or Jai Sing II. The books 
tell us that he founded it in 1728, and this late 
date accounts well for the modern air of the 
town. The fact is that the old rajput was de- 
veloped by contact with British ideals, and while 
a native prince here rules, his prosperity would 
be less but for his contact with British and 
Christian models and ideals. The town is sur- 



428 AROUND THE WORLD 

rounded on all sides except the south by rugged 
hills. The air of prosperity seen everywhere is 
especially marked in connection with the native 
manufacture of jewelry and many kinds of cloths. 
It is claimed that the enamel work done here, 
and also the cutting and setting of garnets and 
other jewels, are the best of their kind in India. 

The Diwan-i-Khas, Private Hall of Audience, 
is built entirely of white marble, and is remark- 
able for its simplicity and imposing grandeur. 
All the gardens are noticeable for their taste 
and care. The Public Gardens, outside the city 
wall, are over seventy acres in extent, and cost 
nearly two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. 
They were designed by a British officer, and are, 
without doubt, the finest gardens in India. In 
these gardens there is a statue of Lord Mayo, 
and in the center of the garden is the Albert 
Hall. This is a sumptuous building, whose 
corner-stone was laid by the Prince of Wales 
in 1876. The Jantra, or Observatory, is the lar- 
gest of the five buildings by the celebrated royal 
astronomer, Jey Sing. It is an open courtyard, 
and contains many strange and even fantastic 
instruments invented by himself. Many of these 
are now out of repair, and it is not possible to 
say with certainty for what purpose he intended 
that they should be employed. 

Many tourists make a visit to Amber, the 
ancient capital. This writer did not have time 
to gratify his desire to see that ancient town. 
It is about four miles from Jeypore and is 
largely inhabited by Hindu fakirs. The maha- 



WESTERN INDIA 429 

rajah not infrequently furnishes tourists with 
elephants to enable them to visit this town and 
its palace. It was the capital of Jeypore until 
1728. Permission from the Resident of Jeypore 
is necessary in order to visit Amber. Bishop 
Hurst is quoted as saying that he never viewed 
a scene so strikingly picturesque and beautiful 
as the gorgeous palace rising from the margin 
of the lake. All visitors speak of it as a grand 
pile, although lacking in some of the elements 
of decoration characteristic of Hindu taste and 
wealth. The rajah's own apartments here are 
characterized by great splendor and by lavish 
display of wealth. It was a matter of regret 
to this writer that he could not visit this ancient, 
peculiarly attractive, and beautiful city. 

The whole territory of Rajputana is interest- 
ing to an unusual degree. The people are more 
like the Aryan conquerors of the original tribes 
than are any other of the Indian tribes. When 
the Mohammedan conquerors from Persia in- 
vaded India, they found the rajputs in possession 
of all the northwestern portion of the country. 
The natives called the country Rajasthan, the 
country of the chiefs. There was here, at one 
time, stretching from the valley of the Indus to 
the Ganges, a confederacy of clans similar, as 
Bishop Hurst remarks, to the Germans in the 
time of Csesar and the Scots in the time of 
Bruce. Acquaintance with a rajput in New 
York, a descendant of the ancient chief Jey 
Sing, gave me a special interest in visiting this 
part of India, and especially this city of Jeypore. 



XXXIV 

BOMBAY 

WE are now hastening back to Bombay, 
and the time is approaching when the 
steamer must be taken and India be left behind. 
Most delightful has been the sojourn of even 
a few weeks in this fascinating country. Many 
cities have been passed over, however great was 
the desire to see them, because of the neces- 
sary limitation in time, but enough was seen to 
gratify a long-cherished desire and to stimulate 
the appetite to revisit India. The whole coun- 
try is invested with a historic charm and a 
poetic glamour. Nowhere else can so much 
that is picturesque in dress, in manners, and in 
all social relations be seen. One who goes to 
India before visiting China and Japan will expe- 
rience an anti-climax in visiting the two latter 
countries. The Indians are our Aryan brethren ; 
in meeting them we are finding a long-lost ac- 
quaintance. Notwithstanding the many degrad- 
ing elements of their heathenism, there is still 
much that is full of charm in the country and 
the people. The mingling of varied civiliza- 
tions, of tribal relations, and the study of the 
progress of British civilization and of Christi- 
anity, give an unusual charm to this ancient and 
430 



BOMBAY 431 

fascinating country and people. With thoughts 
like these I went from town to town on my hasty 
tour. The trip was short, but it would be diffi- 
cult for any one, the writer honestly believes, to 
see more than did he in the time at command. 

It is but a night's ride from Ahmedabad to 
Bombay. So far as was possible, long distances 
between cities were taken at night, both in order 
to save time and to escape the greater heat of 
the daytime. As it was at Bombay that Great 
Britain got her first foothold in India, so very 
often at Bombay tourists have their first view of 
India. There is a genuine charm in this quaint 
city, a charm which increases rather than dimin- 
ishes by a second visit. Here the first glimpse 
of the commingling Indian civilizations, Hindu, 
Mohammedan, Parsi, and Christian, not to speak 
of the earlier tribal civilizations, is enjoyed. 
There is a strange attraction in this Indian life, 
and a tourist comes back to Bombay prepared to 
enjoy its picturesque views with a much greater 
interest than when he first saw this far-off Indian 
city. 

India's Chief Port. — It is supposed that the 
name Bombay is from the word "Bambe," the 
name of an Indian goddess, named Mambe or 
Bambe Dwi, or Mambai, meaning "Great 
Mother," to whom once there was a temple 
on what is now the Esplanade. The Portu- 
guese, however, who came into possession of the 
islands in 1530, derived the name from buon- 
bahia, which word in the Portuguese tongue 



432 AROUND THE WORXD 

means "good bay." This city is the capital of 
the province. It is a large province, and for- 
merly was a presidency and one of the ten great 
government divisions of British India. The city 
is situated on an island of the same name, which 
is separated from the mainland by an arm of the 
sea. The island is ten to eleven miles long and 
about three miles wide, and the city occupies its 
southern extremity. Few places are more pic- 
turesque as the tourist approaches them than is 
this queenly city. Since the opening of the 
Suez Canal it has acquired great commercial as 
well as political importance. It is now at the 
head of the Indian ports, so far as concerns Eu- 
ropean trade ; but Calcutta, as we have already 
seen, is still the seat of the vice-regal govern- 
ment of India. 

The area of the city is estimated at about 
twenty-two square miles. The population is 
between eight hundred and nine hundred thou- 
sand. The Hindus number over half a million 
of this population ; the Mohammedans are about 
one hundred and fifty thousand, and the Chris- 
tians forty-five thousand ; Parsis fifty thousand, 
Jews five thousand, and several smaller sects, 
the Jains being much the largest, make up the 
remainder of the population. The population 
of the city proper is very dense, as most of the 
people occupy only about four square miles of 
the entire area. That sickness is not more fre- 
quent is evidence that the climate is reasonably 
healthful. Although the city was once very 
unhealthful, the drainage latterly has been so 



BOMBAY 433 

greatly improved, that in ordinary seasons the 
proportion of deaths is very little larger than in 
London. 

The opening of communication by railway to 
all parts of India has contributed greatly to the 
rapid growth of Bombay ; for that city is now 
in close touch with the Punjab, the Central Prov- 
inces of India, the Northwestern Provinces of 
Bengal, with Calcutta, and, in a word, with all 
parts of the peninsula. Unlike most cities, 
Bombay is not situated on a river. It is on one 
of a cluster of islands artificially connected with 
one another and with the mainland by cause- 
ways and railway viaducts. These islands thus 
connected now practically form a peninsula lying 
nearly north and south, and they have also 
created a harbor, which takes rank among the 
finest harbors in the world. Many things have 
thus contributed to give Bombay its influential 
position among the cities of India, and even 
among the cities of the world. 

The modern European quarter is at the Apollo 
Bandar where many tourists land. At once 
upon landing the traveller is struck by the grand 
array of public buildings in this Eastern city. 
Not only are the individual buildings fine, but 
their general arrangement produces a marked 
unity of impression. What has been called a 
" happy inspiration " has blended the Gothic 
and Indian schools of architecture. At the junc- 
tion of two thoroughfares are the Victoria Station 
and the new municipal offices. These are the 
largest buildings in Bombay. 

2C 



434 AROUND THE WORLD 

Before continuing our tour throughout the 
city it will be well for us to familiarize ourselves 
somewhat with the interesting history of this 
great city. We have already seen that the 
British secured their first possession in India on 
this island. Near the close of the fifteenth cen- 
tury it was conquered by the Mohammedans, 
and in 1530 it was ceded by them to the Portu- 
guese. It was conveyed to the English in 1661, 
as a portion of the dowry of Catharine of Bra- 
ganza, the Infanta of Portugal, before her mar- 
riage with Charles II. of England. He in 1668 
transferred the island to the East India Company. 
In 1685 this company removed its chief presi- 
dency from Surat to Bombay, and held posses- 
sion of the island until 1859, P a yi n g f° r & an 
annual rental equivalent to fifty dollars. Partly 
as a result of the Indian mutiny and the con- 
sequent change in the method of Hindu govern- 
ment necessitated by that mutiny, the home 
government assumed direct control of all the 
British possessions in India. Bombay in this 
way came under the general government. The 
ancient portion of the city is still known as the 
fort. Its principal streets are wide, well-paved, 
and well-lighted, and they will compare very 
favorably with those of average British and 
American cities. In the native parts of the city 
the streets are narrow, but even there the sanitary 
arrangements have been greatly improved in re- 
cent years. Tramways are very common in 
Bombay, and a generous system of interchange 
tickets is in vogue. Carriages can be hired for 



BOMBAY 435 

prices which to an American seem ridiculously 
low. The entire city can be reasonably well 
examined in a single day, although, of course, 
one could profitably spend much more time on 
this island. 

Public Buildings. — The public offices, as 
already implied, are of unusual size and excel- 
lence. They really surprise a visitor from the 
Occident, and they succeed one another in re- 
markable regularity and in commendable unity 
of design. Close to the Esplanade Hotel, locally 
known as Watson's Hotel, is the Presidential 
Secretariat; then come the University Hall, 
Library, and Clock Tower ; then the law courts, 
public works, post office, and telegraph offices. 

The Secretariat is four hundred and forty- 
three feet long, and each of its two wings is 
eighty-one feet long. Its style is the Venetian 
Gothic ; a great window lights the staircase, and 
over it rises the tower to a height of one hundred 
and seventy feet. The University Library and 
Clock Tower form really a grand pile. This 
building would attract attention in any city, 
either in America or in Europe. What is known 
as the Rajabai Tower, on the west side, is one of 
the most conspicuous buildings in the city, being 
two hundred and sixty feet high. It was the 
gift of Mr. Premchand Raichand, and was built 
in memory of his mother, Rajabai. The tourist 
cannot do better than get a view of Bombay 
from the top of this lofty tower. The Univer- 
sity Hall is a building in the French Decorated 



436 AROUND THE WORLD 

style. It also is noted for its size, being one 
hundred and four feet long. The Courts of Jus- 
tice are really an immense structure, being five 
hundred and sixty-two feet long. The interior 
of these buildings is admirably divided for their 
various purposes. In one of the courts there is 
a carved teak gallery for the public, running 
around three sides. The ceiling is also of this 
same rich wood and the floor is of Italian mosaic. 

The Town Hall is in the Elphinstone Circle ; 
it was opened in 1835, and was a very costly 
building. The Mint is close to the Town Hall, 
and though a plainer building, is one of excel- 
lent taste and simple beauty. The Victoria Sta- 
tion is the terminus of the great Indian Penin- 
sula Railway. It occupies a conspicuous place 
and is considered to be not only one of the hand- 
somest buildings in Bombay, but certainly the 
finest railway station in India, and one of the 
finest in the whole world. It is a vast building 
and is richly ornamented with sculpture and im- 
posingly surmounted by a great dome. Its style 
is the Italian Gothic with certain interesting 
characteristics. But time would fail to tell of 
the Municipal Buildings, the Custom House, 
and still other buildings devoted to business 
and to municipal affairs. 

The Anglican cathedral, or Cathedral of St. 
Thomas, he being popularly supposed to be the 
apostle to India, stands close to the Elphinstone 
Circle. When built, in 1718, it was a garrison 
church, but was made a cathedral in 1833, when 
the See of Bombay was established. There are 



BOMBAY 437 

here monuments connected with the history of 
Bombay and of India. One is of special interest, 
that of Jonathan Duncan, who was governor for 
sixteen years. He exercised much influence in 
suppressing infanticide in Benares and in other 
parts of India, and this monument represents 
him receiving the blessings of young Hindus. 
The Memorial Church of St. John, Christ Church, 
Byculla, the Roman Church in Meadow Street, 
and St. Andrew's Kirk in Marine Street, are all 
worthy of observation. I had the pleasure of 
worshiping in the last ; it is a plainer structure 
than the others named. 

The Baptist church, to which I drove immedi- 
ately upon arriving in Bombay, is opposite the 
Byculla. The pastor is Rev. H. E. Barrell, who 
was at the time of my visit absent in England, 
on a mission of peculiar tenderness and sorrow. 
He is doing excellent service, and I have been 
glad to hear from him since my return home. 
It was a privilege to worship with his people, 
and the courtesies which they extended in sev- 
eral ways were heartily appreciated. Meeting 
here with W. B. Boggs, d. d., of the Telugu 
mission, gave additional pleasure to the occa- 
sion. 

The Grant College of Medicine, and the hos- 
pital founded by the Parsi merchant, Sir Jam- 
shidji Jijibhai, deserve mention ; as is also the 
Pinjra Pal, or infirmary for animals, in the cen- 
ter of the native quarter. The cemeteries are 
also worthy of a visit, as are also Elphinstone 
College, St. Xavier's College, Wilson College, 



438 AROUND THE WORLD 

and the Alexandria College, the last being for 
Parsi women. There are other charitable insti- 
tutions, which take high rank with those of their 
class. The museums, the Victoria Gardens, and 
the Crawford Market well repay a visit, if the 
tourist can spare the time for that purpose. 

The Native Quarter. — The native quarter 
is interesting to an unusual degree. It is said 
that there are not fewer than three thousand 
jewelers of different Indian nationalities who 
find employment in Bombay. I made several 
visits to various establishments of the leading 
jewelers; they are fascinating even to one who 
is not a connoisseur in such matters. The writer 
was glad that certain members of his family 
were not with him when these attractive places 
were visited, else the modest " letter of credit " 
might have been so drawn upon that a steamer 
ticket home could not have been purchased. 

Tortoise-shell carving is a specialty, as are 
also black wood carving, sandalwood and the 
" Bombay boxes," including different kinds of 
wood and several varieties of inlay work. Bom- 
bay embroidery and gold and silver thread are 
very largely esteemed in the markets of the 
world. The streets and bazaars of the native 
quarter are very picturesque in their houses, 
shops, and people, and are very narrow and 
crooked. One may see here the mingling of the 
influence of Portuguese life and art upon the 
native habits of the Hindu ; and here and there 
Hindu temples gayly painted are seen. Per- 



BOMBAY 439 



haps there is no part of the world where a 
busier, livelier, and more varied life can be seen 
than in these bazaars. 

Here are representatives of many heathen 
faiths, and of many of the peoples of earlier 
India. If one sees a half-dozen men and women 
he will see as many styles of dress as there are 
men and women. Here are seen Arabs, Persians, 
Afghans, Negroes of Zanzibar, Malays, Chinese, 
Parsis, Jews, Lascars, and Europeans represent- 
ing many countries, and here also are soldiers 
and officials of different grades. It is a marvel- 
ous scene. The Hindu temples in Bombay are, 
for the most part, comparatively modern ; they 
are, nevertheless, striking and instructive. One's 
heart sinks within him as he sees the enormous 
tide of heathenism flowing through these streets. 
This tide gives the dark side of life in heathen 
countries ; but it has a bright side, where Chris- 
tianity has made itself felt and where heathen- 
ism is yielding to the power of a purer faith and 
a nobler life. 

The Parsis. — Many of the wealthier inhabi- 
tants of Bombay are Parsis. They are prominent 
among the natives for their intelligence, indus- 
try, capacity, business ability, and great wealth. 
They are the descendants of the ancient fire-wor- 
shipers who were banished from Persia by their 
Mohammedan persecutors. They are the modern 
followers of Zoroaster ; their number in Persia is 
probably not more than seven thousand, but in 
India it is perhaps not less than one hundred and 



44-0 AROUND THE WORLD 



fifty thousand. The Mohammedans hate them 
and would persecute them if they had the power 
as giaours, or infidels. The Parsis are devotedly 
attached to the British power in India because 
it has granted them civil and religious liberty. 
They are by far the most intelligent and pros- 
perous people in India outside of the British. 

They keep aloof socially from other races and 
strictly preserve their own individuality. Their 
dress is partly Oriental and partly European. Its 
fashion changes but little from that of their fathers 
after a thousand years. Their caps are among 
the most noticeable kinds of head-dress seen in 
India. Their women often are beautiful ; and 
arrayed in the fluffy, floating dresses of delicate 
and harmonious colors, they are observable and 
attractive to an unusual degree. They can be 
distinguished at once, even by a stranger, from 
the Hindus or any of the other native peoples. 

The word " Parsi " means inhabitants of Fars, 
or Persia. When the empire of the Sassanides 
was destroyed by the Saracens, about 650 A. d., 
the Zoroastrians were greatly persecuted ; many 
of them embraced Islam, but a few clung he- 
roically to the old faith. These were finally 
permitted to settle in one of the most barren 
parts of Persia ; but some of them at length fled 
to India, and the rajah of Guzerat became their 
protector. Soon Mohammedanism spread until 
it reached them in India; they then became 
again the subjects of persecution. Since the 
British occupation of India they have found 
ample liberty, civil and religious. 



BOMBAY 441 

They have never ceased their intercourse with 
their brethren in Persia, but their worship was 
for a time corrupted by the introduction of Hindu 
observances, and among the less intelligent the 
reverence for fire and the sun, as emblems of 
Ormuzd, degenerated into idolatry. The sacred 1 
fire which Zoroaster is said to have brought from 
heaven has never been extinguished in certain 
sacred spots and temples. These fires are tended 
by priests, who chant hymns and burn incense. 
In 1852 an association was formed, whose object 
was to purify the faith and practices of the 
people ; and something has been done to restore 
the creed of Zoroaster to its original purity. 

Many of the Parsis in Bombay permit their 
children to attend the public schools, and they 
are becoming intelligent and modern in thought, 
and ready to adapt themselves to European man- 
ners and customs. It was a genuine pleasure to 
meet a number of the representative followers of 
this ancient people, and to learn many things 
from them concerning their social and religious 
tenets and their methods of worship. 

Their most peculiar custom is the method of 
disposing of their dead. Their walled " Towers 
of Silence," as the place is called, stands on the 
summit of Malabar Hill, the most fashionable 
suburb of Bombay. Sir Jamshidji Jijibhai, at 
his own expense, built the fine road which on 
one side leads to the towers. There are here 
five round towers about sixty feet in diameter 
and fifty feet in height. The largest tower cost 
one hundred and fifty thousand dollars and the 



442 AROUND THE WORLD 

others about one hundred thousand dollars each. 
These towers constitute the cemetery of the 
Parsis. They are surrounded by beautiful gar- 
dens, kept in bloom and loveliness at all seasons 
of the year. The oldest of these towers is of 
great age. One of the towers is kept for the 
bodies of criminals, as they are deemed unworthy 
to mingle with the bones of honest men and 
women. 

As soon as a Parsi dies his body is taken to a 
small temple, and after certain formulas have 
been observed, it is carried on a stretcher through 
a door of one of the towers. Those who bear the 
body belong to a special class, and are not al- 
lowed to intermarry with persons of other call- 
ings. The clothing is then entirely removed 
from the body, and it is placed upon a grating a 
few feet above the ground ; the bearers hastily 
retire, and the door is locked. On the top of the 
towers sit hundreds of vultures ; they watch the 
preparations going on below them, and no sooner 
have the bearers retired than the vultures swoop 
down to gorge themselves with the flesh of the 
dead. Soon they return, their condition clearly 
indicating what has occurred during their ab- 
sence. 

During my visit a procession approached the 
Towers of Silence, and the various proceedings 
I have now briefly described occurred. An in- 
telligent Parsi, in reply to a question regarding 
their method of disposing of their dead, said: 
" You bury your dead in the earth, and the 
worms destroy the body, and should you die at 



BOMBAY 443 

sea on your homeward journey the sharks would 
consume you. We give our dead to the birds of 
the air." It was not easy to make a conclusive 
response to his remarks, and yet one turned 
away from the Towers of Silence with a strange 
sinking of heart as he looked up at the hideous 
vultures, and realized why at that moment they 
were so gorged and sleepy. It is quite certain 
that we shall have to adopt improved methods 
of disposing of our dead in America and in Eng- 
land, but it is equally certain that we shall not 
be likely to adopt the method which the Parsis 
have so long practised. Their claim is that the 
body pollutes the earth, and that it would pollute 
fire, the symbol of their deity, should they, like 
the Hindus, burn the body ; but that the method 
they have selected preserves both earth and fire 
from this form of pollution. 

Their part of Bombay is extremely beautiful. 
A drive round the base of Malabar Hill and 
along the shore of the Arabian Sea is an experi- 
ence which no tourist will be likely soon to 
forget. It reminds one of the environs of Genoa, 
as he may have driven along the road overlook- 
ing the Mediterranean. 

There is one institution in Bombay of which 
many travelers have spoken with appreciation, 
the Pinjra Pol ; this is an asylum for aged and 
decrepit animals. Oxen, horses, dogs, birds, and 
other animals without home or food, find here a 
shelter and excellent care. There are four divi- 
sions for different classes of animals. Excepting 
the dogs, the animals are very quiet. The place 



444 AROUND THE WORLD 

is in the quarter called " Bholeshovar," meaning, 
" Lord of the simple." A form of the God Siva 
is found in the enclosure. A philanthropic na- 
tive left a large sum of money for the purpose of 
this institution, and a number of endowments 
have been received during the past few years, so 
that now the institution is not dependent upon 
annual offerings for its support. Often visitors 
leave generous donations for the good work 
which is carried on at this asylum for animals. 
The yard and buildings cover at least two acres 
of ground. No animal receiving the care of 
this institution is ever killed. 

Too often in America injured animals are cast 
off to live or die, as chance may decide, without 
any care from their former owners. It may be 
said that all through the East remarkable con- 
sideration is given to animals, and although this 
consideration is unfortunate when it is applied 
to poisonous snakes and other dangerous crea- 
tures, it is admirable when it is applied to do- 
mestic animals that have rendered long and ex- 
cellent service. There are some things which 
we of civilized countries may learn even from 
those whom we stigmatize as heathen. 

The Caves of EeEphanta. — I had read 
something of the caves of Ajunta, and of other 
caves in India, as well as of those of Elephanta, 
but no opportunity was given me to visit any 
other of the caves than those near Bombay. It 
was, therefore, with the greater zest that the 
visit to these caves was made. Elephanta is a 



BOMBAY 445 

small island about six miles from the Fort of 
Bombay, and steam launches can be hired which 
make the passage in about an hour. The natives 
call this place Garapuri, meaning " the town of 
the rock " ; or, according to other authorities, 
" town of purification " ; or still others, " town 
of excavation." The natives call the caves 
Lenem, a word which probably has reference to 
the fact that most of these caves were originally 
used as places of retirement by religious ascetics. 
A mass of the rock was cut into the shape of an 
elephant, and this fact gave the place the name 
by which it is known among Europeans. The 
head of the elephant was broken off in 1814, and 
the headless body was removed to Bombay, where 
it is now on exhibition in the Victoria Gardens ; 
but the former name of the island still remains. 
The island consists of two long hills. There is 
a series of slippery steps over which one must 
pass to reach the caves. No one knows when 
these caves were excavated, although the date is 
generally put somewhere between the eighth and 
the twelfth centuries of our era. Two massive 
pillars stand at the opening into the temple, and 
the excavation consists of three principal parts. 
We learn that one side of this cave is one hun- 
dred and thirty feet long, and the breadth is, 
from the eastern to the western entrances, about 
as great as the length. The cave was once sup- 
ported by twenty-six pillars, some of which are 
now broken, and the height varies considerably 
at different points within the cave. Different 
parts are known by special names. The great 



446 AROUND THE WORLD 

cave the Hindus call a Siva Lingam temple. 
This was a class of buildings once very common 
in Southern and Central India, and many Hindus 
believe that deities constructed these great cave 
temples, and that many of them visit these sa- 
cred places at their religious festivals. 

On the wall of one temple is a three-faced 
bust, nineteen feet in height. It is a representa- 
tion of Siva ; one face represents him as the 
creator, another as the destroyer, and the third 
as the preserver. In this last case he appears 
as Vishnu holding a lotus flower in his hand. 
There is another figure with the unpronounce- 
able name, " Arddhanarishwar." This is a figure 
of a half male and a half female divinity, the 
right half representing the male and the left the 
female. This is intended to set forth the fact 
that Siva unites both sexes in his one person. 
Other figures in other caves represent Siva in 
a similar character, and in some of the sacred 
writings he is also so described. In another 
compartment are gigantic figures of Siva and 
Parbati. There are many other figures in dif- 
ferent parts of these caves, as there are many 
other caves in this group or in this vicinity. 
The fact is that these caves, if only their his- 
tory were thoroughly known, represent no small 
part of the religious and social life of Bombay 
and of India. The caves of India, those of El- 
lora, as well as the others already named, could 
furnish material enough for special study for 
years. Probably they all originated prior to 
the Christian era. 



BOMBAY 447 



The Portuguese, we are told, planted cannon 
before the cave and destroyed many of the pil- 
lars at its entrance ; one sees here hanging pil- 
lars, the capitals only remaining. But as all 
parts of the cave are carved out of the same 
rock, each part is as truly self-supporting as any 
other. 

Some of the figures in bas-relief are admir- 
ably executed and others are peculiarly hideous. 
They all agree in the lack of just proportions 
of form or expression of feature. There is no 
attempt at anatomical proportion and no evi- 
dences of artistic genius. The figures, no doubt, 
were intended to be typical of certain ideals, as 
are the idols, of many heathen countries. It 
was not the purpose to make them like anything 
in heaven above or on the earth beneath, and in 
this respect the original idea was admirably car- 
ried out. 

When the Prince of Wales was in India a 
barbecue was given him within the cave ; this 
certainly was a use for the cave to which no one 
of its original designers ever supposed it would 
be put. 

Most restful were my two days in Bombay 
after the hurried trip which I made, going twice 
across the Indian Peninsula. There was time 
for the enjoyment of some social fellowship, for 
loitering along the shores of the beautiful bay, 
for watching a game of football between repre- 
sentatives of different regiments of soldiers, and 
for listening to charming military music during 
the evening hours. As Bombay was the first, 



448 AROUND THE WORLD 

so it was the last sight on Indian soil which I 
enjoyed. Soon the ship was taken which bore 
me to Aden, and so the journey homeward, which 
had already been begun, was earnestly continued ; 
but never will the varied and charming scenes 
of India, short though my visit was, be effaced 
from memory. 



XXXV 

THE ARABIAN SEA 

WE now have to bid farewell to India. At 
5 p. m., Friday, the thirteenth of Sep- 
tember, 1895, we boarded the steam-yacht which 
was to take us to our steamer which lay in the 
Bombay Harbor. The time passed in India was 
all too short. This land of palaces and of pago- 
das, of history and mystery, of splendor and 
squalor, made an enduring impression upon 
mind and heart. It ranks above even Japan in 
the warm and large place which it will hold in 
memory. Its records go back to the remotest 
dynasties. Its many ruins captivate the fancy 
and the mosaic character of its people makes a 
powerful impression on the mind. No one can 
doubt the great antiquity, the marvelous variety, 
and the superb grandeur of India's early civil- 
ization. We owe much to her people for our 
knowledge of science, philosophy, astronomy, 
and kindred lines of inquiry. The Sanskrit has 
been the parent of many languages. India's 
Aryan people are really our own brothers. 

Now the ancient greatness of this historic 
country has passed away. Her lustre is dimmed ; 
her people are sunken in superstition ; but for 
India a new day is dawning. Christian missions 

2D 449 



45° AROUND THE WORLD 

are causing the light of Christianity to shine 
over that ancient land and that commingled 
civilization. Christianity will exalt the women 
of India from being the slaves or toys of men 
into a true and noble womanhood. On the 
ruins of false faiths and departed civilizations 
Christianity will rear temples to the true and 
living God, and will cause India to start on a 
new and nobler career of civilization. 

Farewell to India. — From the deck of our 
steamer we had the last look on the lovely shores 
of Bombay. There is the suburb of Kolaba ; 
yonder the Malabar Road ; there the ghats, or 
hills, rising back of the city and marking the 
scene of Wellington's conquest and of the de- 
feat of the Mahrattas. 

Here are English fathers and mothers on the 
deck of the ship bidding farewell to their sons 
and daughters who are going to England or to 
Scotland for their education. These children 
were born in India, but they call Great Britain 
their home. Here also are a number of English- 
men and Scotchmen and a few Irishmen who 
are going back to their respective countries after 
having spent many years in India. They now 
love India. They will not feel at home in the 
land of their birth. Some who have completed 
their term of service, either in military or civil 
life, will be almost certain to come back to India 
to spend their closing years. They are con- 
scious of the mysterious charm which India al- 
ways exercises. Remarkable tenderness is shown 



THE ARABIAN SEA 45 1 

by parents parting with their children and by 
children parting with their parents. 

The ship moves out of the superb harbor and 
bay ; city and hills gradually fade into shadows 
and finally disappear from sight. Shall I ever 
see them again? One can readily appreciate 
how our American missionaries come to love 
India. With all its sins and sorrows, its super- 
stitions and varied forms of degradation, it is 
still an attractive country. 

We are now bound for Aden, the Red Sea, and 
a part of the Suez Canal. Our voyage is one 
of three thousand miles across the Arabian Sea 
and through the Red Sea. Our company on 
board is made up of civil and military officers 
returning to Great Britain, and also business 
men and students returning to Great Britain. 
The writer was apparently the only tourist on 
board. He was traveling entirely out of season 
and had been often almost the only guest in 
hotels in India ; the other guests, when there 
were any, were Anglo-Indians who were travel- 
ing on business. 

Among our passengers were Sir Comer Pleth- 
eram who, for a number of years, has been chief 
justice of India. We also had Mr. Justice Nor- 
ris who, after a long period of service, has been 
placed on the retired list, and is entitled to a 
pension, and was returning to England in broken 
health. There was doubt on the part of the 
physicians who were on board as to whether or 
not he would live to reach England. We also 
had Mr. Justice Gordon, who had rendered ex- 



452 AROUND THE WORLD 

cellent service in presiding over various courts 
in different parts of India. We had also a num- 
ber of military officers whose friendship I much 
enjoyed and whose information was greatly ap- 
preciated. 

There were other passengers who stand high 
in relation to the government of India and who 
exercise much influence in Great Britain in re- 
spect to its Indian possessions. It was my good 
fortune to sit at the same table with these justices 
and others fully informed on Oriental matters, 
and also to have frequent and prolonged conver- 
sations with them regarding Indian affairs. 

For a part of the journey the sea was rough, 
and only a few passengers were able to be at the 
table or on deck. The writer had become so 
much accustomed to the sea that he had not the 
slightest tendency toward the dreaded mal de 
mer. Our journey took us within twelve de- 
grees of the equator, and at times the weather 
was extremely warm and the nights correspond- 
ingly uncomfortable. 

Never did the stars seem brighter and more 
fascinating. They seemed, as I had elsewhere 
observed them, especially in the Hawaiian Is- 
lands, to be wonderfully near and to be strangely 
fraternal. They did not seem to be set in the 
brow of night, but rather to be lustrous pendants 
from the firmament. The Southern Cross was 
wonderfully bright and eloquently suggestive as 
I gazed upon it night after night in the clear at- 
mosphere characteristic of those tropical oceans. 
Marvelous is the beauty of those Southern skies. 



THE ARABIAN SEA 453 

Fascinating are the constellations which flash 
out upon the observer. One can almost under- 
stand how the stars came to be objects of wor- 
ship. The mariner in Southern hemispheres 
beholds the Southern Cross with a sort of relig- 
ious reverence, and he values it as assisting him 
in measuring time and in guiding his course. 
Thus the ship glided day after day over the 
Arabian Sea. Sometimes it was simply a gently 
throbbing ocean, and at other times it was suffi- 
ciently rough to satisfy those who were ambi- 
tious to see a storm in the tropics. 

Aden. — On the sixth day after leaving Bom- 
bay we approached Aden. Here we were to be 
transferred to the magnificent steamer of the 
same line, from Australia on its way to London. 
It was expected that this steamer would be at 
Aden awaiting our arrival, but it was somewhat 
late, and we were obliged to wait for its arrival. 

Aden is an island, or more strictly, a rocky 
peninsula, on the southern coast of Arabia. It 
belongs to Great Britain, and it commands the 
entrance to the Red Sea. The area of the pe- 
ninsula is eighteen to twenty square miles. The 
entire peninsula is doubtless of volcanic origin. 
It has been called the "Gibraltar of the Indian 
Ocean." It enjoys perpetual sunshine. The 
natives called it Aden, or Eden, because of its 
fine climate. Once it was little more than a 
barren rock, but now it has become a habitable 
place, having a population of over forty thousand 
of all nations under heaven, although it is given 



454 AROUND THE WORLD 

up chiefly to British soldiers and British cannon. 
Aden is believed by some writers to be the place 
called Eden, in Ezek. 27 : 23, and the " Portus 
Romanus " of the Romans. It was known to 
the Romans, was possessed by the Arabs, and 
was captured from them by the Turks. Pliny 
the elder seems to have known the native name, 
and he calls it " Athana." On his return from 
China, Marco Polo, the Venetian, visited Aden. 
He mentions the port as having been a place of 
trade with China. He and others speak of its 
riches and splendor. On the eighteenth of Feb- 
ruary, 1513, Albuquerque, with twenty ships, 
sailed from India for the conquest of Aden. 
He succeeded in capturing only a part of the 
town, and was finally obliged to withdraw. 
Various attempts were later made to capture 
this city. It must at one time have been a 
place of great strength, as Marco Polo states 
that " the Soldan of Aden sent thirty thousand 
horsemen and forty thousand camels to the great 
help of the Saracens and the grievous injuries of 
the Christians," when the Soldan of Babylon 
went against the city of Acre, A. d. 1291. 

The British captured Aden from the Arabs on 
the sixteenth of January, 1839. Three times 
within a year after that, united Arab tribes en- 
deavored to retake the city, but were driven back 
with great loss. In 1846 a similar attempt was 
made, but it was readily repulsed. This attack 
was followed by many murders committed by 
religious fanatics whose zeal had been inflamed 
by the preaching of a religious war. In 1858 it 



THE ARABIAN SEA 455 

became necessary for the British to march against 
the Arabs, and they were routed with serious 
loss. In 1865 attempts were made to blockade 
Aden on the land side, but these efforts were 
rendered futile by the vigorous defense of the 
British troops. Other attempts were made in 
1866, but since that time the Arab tribes have 
kept their treaties, and seem to be more friendly 
in all their relations to the British government. 

The town is at a considerable distance from 
the shore. It is really in the center of an ex- 
tinct volcano. Tall masts of wrecked ships are 
not unfrequently seen in the harbor of Aden. 
The Arab name, Bab-el-Mandeb, " The Gate of 
Tears," was given these straits because of the 
number of vessels which have been wrecked in 
these waters. The ships of the ancients were so 
poorly constructed that they could not navigate 
this dangerous channel without frequent loss of 
ships and life. The improvement in the con- 
struction of ships has greatly reduced the per- 
centage of loss in these recent years ; and yet 
within a few months after the writer passed 
through these straits, a stanch vessel, with 
nearly all on board, was lost. There was a 
proverb among seamen that no vessel under 
canvas can enter the Red Sea for six months of 
the year, and that during the other six months no 
vessel under canvas can go out of the Red Sea. 
This proverb is based on the fact that the winds 
blow here with great regularity in a certain di- 
rection for half a year at a time. 

We approached these straits with great caution. 



456 AROUND THE WORLD 

Soundings were taken continually as the ship 
slowly pushed its way through this channel. At 
certain points the water is very shallow and the 
steamer stirs up the mud with its keel. 

No sooner had we reached the channel than 
scores of Somali boys surrounded the ship, 
shouting, as we heard them shout in many other 
places: "Have a dive? Have a dive? Good 
boy, good boy." They sang together, clapping 
their hands upon their sides as an accompani- 
ment to their songs. Many passengers threw 
them small coins, and they immediately jumped 
into the water, the whole crowd struggling to- 
gether to find the coin. Soon they came up, one 
of them having it held firmly in his teeth. Noth- 
ing could be seen for a time but the scores of feet 
struggling above the water as the boys were dis- 
appearing beneath the surface. One wonders 
that accidents do not oftener occur, as sharks and 
other ravenous fish are numerous here. The boy 
who gathers in the greatest number of shillings 
is one who a few years ago had his leg bitten off 
by a shark or some other fish. His brother 
plunged in with a knife as the fish was making 
off with the little fellow, killed the fish, and 
brought it and his wounded brother to the shore. 
You can buy the photograph of both at Aden. 
This little fellow is an expert swimmer ; and, 
no doubt, it was a great financial gain for him 
to have had this struggle with the shark even 
though he lost his leg in the conflict. Some of 
these boys will climb to the deck of the great 
steamers when the officers are not looking, and 



THE ARABIAN SEA 457 

will dive from the highest deck for a few pence, 
enjoying it all the more because forbidden. 

These are strange-looking fellows. Their hair 
is a sort of red. It seems to be dyed, by some 
means, and it is twisted into the oddest sort of 
curls. They seem to be almost amphibious 
creatures. Other natives came on board our 
ship with the hope of selling shells, toys, leopard 
skins, ostrich feathers, and other curiosities. 
Some of these peddlers seem to be Syrian Jews, 
dark almost as Arabs, but still possessing the 
unmistakable and ineffaceable Jewish physiog- 
nomy. Their hair was in ringlets, their stature 
was small, but the Hebrew characteristics could 
not be concealed, whatever the color and stature 
might be. 

Aden is a hot, but not an unhealthful place. 
Snakes and scorpions, however, are numerous. 
A strange commingling of nationalities is seen 
in the bazaar in the afternoon. Here are wild 
Arabs from the interior of Arabian Yemen. 
Here are Turks, Egyptians, various tribes from 
the coast of Zanzibar, untamed Bedouins, many 
kinds of Jews, Parsis, Mahrattas, British officers, 
civil and military, and sailors from many coun- 
tries, and a motley crowd of indescribable na- 
tionalities. One must travel far in many coun- 
tries before he can see so many strange sights as 
are presented in this town built in a crater, which 
was formerly the fortress of Aden. It is worth 
much to Great Britain that she should have a 
stronghold at the entrance to the Red Sea. 
Wonderful is the power of the British nation. 



458 AROUND THE WORLD 

Entering the Red Sea. — At length we 
were on board the superb steamer " Oceana " 
from Australia on its way to London. There 
was no small amount of confusion and excite- 
ment as the transfer was made. Glad were we 
to leave our comparatively small steamer for 
this truly magnificent ship, one of the three or 
four finest of the P. & O. lines. Here we met 
many passengers on their way from Australia to 
Great Britain, but we were permitted to retain 
our former relationships at table, so that the 
pleasant friendships I had formed on the way 
from Bombay were still continued. 

Fearfully hot was the weather as we lay at 
Aden ; not less so was it as we pushed on toward 
and into the Red Sea. The wind, after sweep- 
ing across the deserts and the sandy shores, was 
burning as it came to our cheeks. We breathed 
hot air, air heated as if coming from the mouth 
of a glowing furnace. It is not too much to say 
that everybody on board gasped for air. Again 
and again I longed for the chilling breath often 
felt on the Atlantic. Many passengers had their 
mattresses brought up to the deck and placed 
there with the hope that they might secure a 
few hours of sleep. The ladies were arranged 
on one side of the deck and the gentlemen on 
the other. After the ladies had retired most of 
the gentlemen donned their pyjamas and walked 
up and down the deck in their bare feet. It 
was an amusing sight to see the chief justice of 
India so dressed, with feet and legs from the 
knee exposed, and a sailor pouring water on 



THE ARABIAN SEA 459 

him as he turned himself to welcome the stream 
from the hose. All who slept on the deck had 
to be aroused early in the morning in order that 
the decks could be washed and the ship pre- 
pared for the duties of the day. 

This writer can stand heat without much 
complaint and his powers of endurance had been 
well tested before reaching the Red Sea, but he 
is free to say that he did not desire any atmos- 
phere with a greater amount of caloric than he 
found in the closing week of September sailing 
through the Red Sea. Never was a journey 
over the Atlantic with its Arctic breath so great- 
ly appreciated as while this journey was taken 
over the Red Sea. 

Our course was now nearly due north, and we 
soon left behind us the island of Perim, which 
occupies the narrowest part of the strait of Bab- 
el-Mandeb. This island is distant about one 
mile and a half from the Arabian, and nine or 
ten miles from the African, coast. It is only a 
little more than a mile wide, and not quite four 
miles long. It has been called the " island of 
Diodorus." Its formation is purely volcanic and 
it furnishes excellent harbor advantages. The 
highest point of the island is about two hundred 
and fifty feet above the sea level. No water has 
been found on the island and very little can be 
procured from the mainland. The supply is 
furnished chiefly by a condensing apparatus. 

It is wonderful what adaptability the British 
nation has to all climates and countries ; and 
they are the only people who have ever perma- 



460 AROUND THE WORLD 

nently occupied this island. In 1513 Albuquerque 
landed upon it and erected a great cross thereon, 
and named the island Vera Cruz. Later it was 
occupied for a time by pirates, but in 1799 posses- 
sion of it was taken by the East Indian Company. 
The lighthouse on the highest point was com- 
pleted in 1861. The garrison of Aden sends a 
guard to this island to protect the lighthouses 
and coaling stations. 

It is well known that enormous coral reefs 
run along the coast of the Red Sea. They 
usually rise out of deep water and approach 
within a few feet of the surface. Between them 
and the east coast there is a navigable channel 
from two to three miles wide and there is a nar- 
rower channel on the west. It is claimed by 
those who have given careful study to the whole 
subject that the entire coast is in a course of up- 
heaval. In proof of this the books call attention 
to the fact that the former seaport of Adulis 
near Massowa is now four miles inland. These 
are some of the facts which make navigation in 
this sea so dangerous. The tides also add to 
the danger, as they are very uncertain. At Suez, 
where they are most regular, they are seven feet 
high at spring tides and four feet at neap tides. 
During the months of July, August, and Sep- 
tember, northerly winds prevail and they drive a 
very great quantity of water out of the Red Sea. 
At the same time the southwest monsoon is 
blowing in the Indian Ocean, and the result is 
that the level of the Red Sea is often three feet 
lower than during the cooler months of the year ; 



THE ARABIAN SEA 461 

during these latter months the northeast mon- 
soon is blowing and it drives the water through 
the straits and into the Red Sea. These are 
facts which have their bearing upon the passage 
of the children of Israel through the northern 
arm of this sea. No doubt natural causes which 
still operate were employed by God in accom- 
plishing the miracle which gave deliverance to 
the children of Israel. 



XXXVI 

THE RED SEA 

WE continue to press our way through this 
sea. Why has it been called the Red 
Sea ? That question has been frequently asked 
and to it no conclusive answer has been given. 
The Black Sea is not a black sea, the Blue 
Danube is not a specially blue river, and the Red 
Sea is not a red sea. Some have said that it was 
called the Red Sea because of the presence of 
infinitesimal infusoria which at certain seasons 
give it a reddish appearance. Others, that the 
spawn of fish at certain times gave it this color 
in sections, and also caused a distinct odor to 
arise from it while the ships were passing through 
the affected portions. Perhaps a better reason 
is that along portions of the shore the mountains 
have a delicate pink hue or at times a reddish 
glare. The Hebrews called it Yam Suph, Sea 
of Weeds or Sedge. Captains of various ships 
and other authorities differ as to why the sea 
was called red. The fact is that they, as a rule, 
have not looked carefully into the matter and 
cannot speak authoritatively on the subject. 
The early peoples in the neighboring countries 
called it " Yam Edom," as part of it washed the 
country of the Edomites, and the word Edom 
462 



THE RED SEA 463 



means red. The Greeks, who borrowed the 
name from the Phoenicians, mistook it for an ap- 
pelative, instead of a proper name, and rendered 
it by Greek words which mean Red Sea. Ery- 
thrus means the same in Greek that Edom does 
in Phoenician, red. This is, without doubt, the 
true explanation. 

Its Ports and its Colors. — The extreme 
length of the Red Sea is about one thousand four 
hundred and fifty miles, its width varies from 
sixteen miles to two hundred at its broadest 
part. Most interesting was it to remember that 
we were passing between Africa on the one side 
and Arabia on the other. Here we were skirt- 
ing the coast of Arabia Deserta. Here on the 
African shore at Asab and Obokh the French 
and Italians have settlements. Here was Mocha 
with its bright shining minarets and its many 
suggestions of good coffee. Here also was Hod- 
eida with a population of over thirty thousand, 
a point at which European steamers often call. 
The bold headlands of Abyssinia were visible 
on our port side, and a range of Arabian moun- 
tains on the starboard side. 

Here was Jiddah, the seaport of Mecca, the 
resort of all pious Mohammedans. This is an 
important place, and is distant but sixty miles 
from Mecca. The population is said to be at 
least forty thousand. The town is enclosed by 
a wall with towers and on the sea face there are 
two forts. For this part of the world the town 
is well kept, although the native portions are 



464 AROUND THE WORLD 

very poor. It is said that the native population 
is most fanatical and that all Europeans must 
be extremely careful in their words and acts not 
to arouse the religious hostility of these fanatical 
people. The East gate, or Mecca gate, of the 
town was formerly reserved for Mohammedans 
only. Europeans now are permitted to use it, 
but they must preserve the utmost caution while 
they are in so sacred a neighborhood. In this 
town is the so-called tomb of Eve. It is a small 
mosque, between two long, low walls, one hun- 
dred and forty feet in length ; it is claimed that 
the mother of us all is buried here. If this is 
her tomb and she occupies it all she must have 
been a gigantic ancestress. This town was bom- 
barded by the British in 1858. 

On a Sunday afternoon the writer had his first 
glimpse of the great Sinaitic range. It was 
bathed in the soft pink light of which mention 
has been made. There is a ruggedness, a strange 
angularity, characterizing its different elevations. 
Perhaps not even in Switzerland are such deli- 
cate shades of color and varied outline in form 
observed. All the richest shades on the Red 
Sea and its wonderful shores are seen in the 
evening ; then pink, green, blue, and purple de- 
lightfully blend. These shades change again 
and again as the evening approaches. At times 
as we coasted along the shores of Nubia the wind 
from the land was like a sirocco. The writer has 
painfully distinct memories of the scorching re- 
ceived for at least two days while sailing through 
this sea. 



THE RED SEA 465 



One of the important ports of Arabia on the 
Red Sea is Yenbo. This is the port of Medina 
which is one hundred and thirty miles to the 
east. Here also is Suakin, one of the important 
towns on the west side of the Red Sea. It is 
still an Egyptian town, and is all that remains to 
the khedive of the vast Soudan provinces. 1 The 
town of Berenice, founded by Ptolemy Philadel- 
phus and called after his mother, was passed. 
Here is the headland of Ras Benas. It is opposite 
Yenbo on the Arabian coast. There are also sev- 
eral other places mentioned in history which we 
do not stop to particularize. 

Close to the sea is Jebal ez-Zeit, " the Moun- 
tain of Oil." It is believed that petroleum exists 
in this vicinity, and the Egyptian government 
has spent large sums of money in the attempt to 
discover it. Some oil has been found, but not 
in sufficient quantity to remunerate the govern- 
ment for the amount expended. 

The Red Sea at Ras Mohammed is split by 
the peninsula of Sinai into parts ; one of these 
parts is called the gulf of Suez, and is about one 
hundred and fifty miles long and from ten to 
eighteen miles wide ; the other part is the gulf 
of Akabah, and is about one hundred miles long, 
and from five to ten miles wide. Between these 
two arms of the sea rises the peninsula of Sinai. 
What is known as Mount Sinai, according to 
popular tradition, is not seen from the sea, but 
the Sinaitic range is distinctly observed, as 

1 Since this, however, the Soudan has been reconquered by the 
British and Egyptian forces under Lord Kitchener. 
2E 



466 AROUND THE WORLD 

already stated. The traditional mountain is 
thirty-seven geographical miles distant and is 
hid by intervening mountains. 

We pressed on our way toward Suez, and soon 
a wonderful change came over the atmosphere. 
It now became so cool that a light overcoat was 
very welcome. All mariners are glad when they 
complete their journey through this historic sea. 
Portions of it are enormously deep. Its shores, 
as already implied, are peculiarly dangerous be- 
cause of the coral reefs. Small Arabian vessels 
keep near the shore, as their captains are familiar 
with their soundings ; but the great ships keep 
nearly in the middle of the sea. European sail- 
ing vessels seldom attempt to navigate these 
dangerous waters. The color of the sea is a 
bluish-green, or greenish-blue. When the water 
becomes shoal the color is a pale green. The 
sea is very sensitive to the clouds, becoming of 
a dark indigo tint when certain clouds are re- 
flected in its bosom. 

Suez. — Suez derives its chief historic interest 
because it is supposed that near it the Israelites 
crossed the Red Sea under the guidance of Moses. 
Modern investigation, however, places this event 
farther north. Two centuries ago Suez was only 
a small fishing station, but early in the nineteenth 
century lines of steamers began to run regularly 
from India to Suez. In 1857 a line of railway 
was completed from Cairo to Suez which at once 
grew in importance. In 1863 a canal was com- 
pleted which brought fresh water to Suez from 



THE RED SEA 467 



the Nile. The work on the Suez Canal brought 
a large population to the town, perhaps not 
fewer than fifteen thousand ; but when the canal 
was completed the population decreased, and now 
the place is largely deserted. The transfer of 
the mails to Ismailia also greatly injured Suez. 

There is now a railway running to Ismailia, 
and many passengers leave the steamer at Suez 
and go directly to Ismailia and Cairo by train. 
I preferred, however, to have some experience in 
sailing on the Suez Canal, and so remained on 
board the steamer. There are but few features 
of local interest in Suez. The landscape con- 
sists, for the most part, simply of sand and water, 
and signs of vegetation are rare. Waste and 
barrenness are characteristic of the place. The 
settlement of five centuries sprang into commer- 
cial importance, as we have seen, during the 
building of the canal, but now it has reverted 
to its early insignificance. The population is 
made up of Arabs, Maltese, Greeks, and Italians. 
There is an English hospital, and on the heights 
above the old town is the chalet of the khedive. 

Those who have the time make an excursion 
from Suez to the wells of Moses, the " Ayun 
Musa," or in the singular, " Ain Musa." These 
wells form an oasis surrounded with tamarisk 
bushes and palm trees. Dean Stanley calls it 
the " Richmond of Suez." It is a place of fre- 
quent resort for the people of Suez. Some Arabs 
and Europeans now live there, there being a 
few houses with gardens, fruit-trees, and vege- 
tables. One of the wells is built up of massive 



468 AROUND THE WORLD 

masonry, and is doubtless of great age. These 
wells are associated by tradition with the spot 
where Moses and Miriam sang their song of 
triumph over the destruction of Pharaoh and his 
host. 

Bishop Hurst calls attention to the mountain 
on the west and standing back from the gulf of 
Suez. It rises like a great granite trident. He 
reminds us that it was here that Professor Palmer, 
of Oxford, was murdered a few years ago. A 
little time before his last visit, he made a tonr 
through the Sinaitic peninsula and gave us the 
result in his volume entitled, " The Exodus of 
Israel." He was then in Egypt in the service 
of the government helping to promote the Egyp- 
tian campaign, and to secure the aid and neu- 
trality of the wild and dangerous Sinaitic tribe. 
Unfortunately he carried with him a large amount 
of money. He was seized, blindfolded, and 
hurled down a precipice from the top of a moun- 
tain. His murderers were condemned to death, 
and were taken to different places and executed. 

The Great Canal. — The Suez Canal was 
opened in 1870. Its length is put down in round 
numbers as one hundred miles. From Suez to 
Ismailia it tends to the west, but between Ismailia 
and Port Said, a distance of about forty-two miles, 
it runs due north and south. This canal has 
changed populations and, to some degree, civili- 
zations along its shores and in contiguous towns. 
It is nominally under the control of the French, 
but as a matter of fact a larg-e amount of the stock 



THE RED SEA 469 



is owned by Great Britain. There was an effort 
made some time ago to open another canal run- 
ning nearly parallel. 

The present canal was not and is not of suffi- 
cient size to accommodate the traffic ; but it 
has been widened and straightened at points, 
and probably no other will for some time be 
opened. Its width at the water line where the 
banks are low is three hundred and twenty-eight 
feet ; in deep cuttings, one hundred and ninety 
feet ; at the base, seventy-two feet ; and its depth 
is twenty-six feet. Stations are frequent on its 
banks, and traffic is regulated by what is known 
on railways as the block system. Additional 
sidings are yearly constructed and navigation is 
thus greatly facilitated. Vessels pass through 
in the night as in the daytime, electric lights 
being numerous, and no vessel must sail more 
rapidly than six miles an hour. 

Entering the canal Sunday night at Suez we 
were early the next morning at Ismailia. Here 
I was met by a steam launch which bore me to 
the shore. No other passengers left the steamer 
at this point. The weather was most cool and 
comfortable, and I much enjoyed the fresh air 
of the morning. I was up quite early so as to 
get a glimpse of the Bitter Lakes before I should 
leave the steamer. These lakes are the ancient 
gulf of Herseopolis. There is at the north and 
south ends of the chief lake an iron lighthouse. 
Some writers state that the passage of the Israel- 
ites was through this lake. The town of Sera- 
peum, named from the supposed remains of a 



470 AROUND THE WORXD 

temple of Serapis, was in this vicinity. L,ake 
Timsah, or the Lake of the Crocodile, is in the 
vicinity ; and it is affirmed by some authorities 
that the Red Sea once extended to this lake. 

Jules Verne, in his unique way, tells us that 
there is a subterranean passage uniting the Red 
Sea with the Mediterranean Sea, and in the 
same spirit he tells how certain fish were caught 
and marked with rings, then thrown into the 
Red Sea, and that these fish afterward were 
found in the Mediterranean. There may be 
more fact than fancy in his suggestion. It is 
not impossible also that the Red Sea and the 
Mediterranean Sea were married long before the 
completion of M. de Lesseps' great enterprise of 
opening the Suez Canal. There are places of 
interest on the canal from Ismailia to Port Said, 
but these I did not have the opportunity of see- 
ing. 

Ismailia is a town of perhaps four thousand 
population, and much of the business that once 
was done in Suez is now done in Ismailia. As 
a rule, mails and passengers for Egypt are landed 
here. The road which leads from the landing- 
place crosses the Fresh Water Canal and is lined 
with acacia and other trees. There are in Ismai- 
lia quarters occupied by Greeks, by Italians, by 
Arabs, and by other nationalities. The resi- 
dence of the khedive was used as a military hos- 
pital when the English occupied the town in 
1882. One house, which is pointed out to all 
visitors, belongs to M. de L,esseps. There is a 
garden in which there are objects of interest 



THE RED SEA 47 1 



taken from historic towns in different parts of 
Egypt. 

Ismailia was really founded in 1863, that it 
might serve as the center for the administration 
of the work on the Suez Canal. This work was 
begun simultaneously at Suez and at Port Said. 
The canal was named after the khedive. The 
favorable situation of Ismailia, on the northern 
shore of Lake Timsah and on the railways lead- 
ing from Alexandria and Cairo to Suez, seems 
likely to make the town permanent and to en- 
able it to become a place of considerable im- 
portance. 

A Glance at Egypt. — Although I had now 
been in many countries, I must say that the 
realization that I was really in Egypt, that 
country so associated with biblical, mythical, 
and classical story, gave me at least a mild sen- 
sation. Egypt, as we all know, is a large and 
most important country. It long has been a 
dependency of the Turkish empire, bounded by 
the Mediterranean on the north and by the Red 
Sea on the East. 

Egypt proper extends south to the first cata- 
ract of the Nile, and west beyond the oases of 
the Libyan Desert to the frontier of Barca. 
The rule of the viceroy, however, has been ex- 
tended over a vast region to the south, officially 
called the Soudan, and comprising Lower Nubia, 
Dongola, Kardofan, Khartum, the provinces of 
the White Nile, and since 1865 also the coasts of 
the Red Sea to the seaport town of Massowah, 



472 AROUND THE WORLD 

Including all this territory, the area of the 
Egyptian empire is estimated to be seven hun- 
dred and thirty thousand square miles. It is 
difficult, however, to speak with certainty re- 
garding the area, as all depends on what is meant 
by the Egyptian empire and upon the exactness 
of the terminology employed. Some extend the 
empire until it embraces one million square 
miles, and contains a population of at least 
eleven million. 

The fertile portion of the country is the plain 
of the river Nile. Every year in June this river 
rises and overflows its banks, the receding waters 
leaving the land covered with mud. This river 
is an indescribable benediction to this great 
country. The trade of the country is largely in 
cotton, wheat, and sugar. It gave one no little 
pleasure to realize that he was on the soil of 
Egypt, which was once the most powerful king- 
dom on the globe. In this land there are still 
wonderful ruins of temples and other great 
buildings. 

I was obliged to spend the forenoon in Ismailia, 
as the train for Cairo did not start until one 
o'clock in the afternoon. About that hour I 
started for the attractive city of Cairo. For a 
time there was nothing but barren sand hills 
on both sides of the train as we journeyed on- 
ward. We made a brief stop at Tel el-Keber. 
Here the English fought the battle with Arabi 
Pasha which virtually closed the campaign in 
Egypt. All about us were still evidences of the 
war which had taken place. One of my travel- 



THE RED SEA 473 



iug companions had been a soldier in that cam- 
paign and had participated in that closing battle. 
He gave thrilling details of the night inarch, of 
the sudden arrival, and of the unexpected open- 
ing of the battle. There is the cemetery whose 
modest white stones mark the last resting-place 
of many brave soldiers unknown to fame, but 
who gave their lives for queen and country. 
No great monumental shaft marks their graves, 
but life was as dear to them, and their death was 
as sad to those who loved them, as the life and 
death of the most honored generals of great 
wars and heroic battles. 

Soon we reached the region where the Nile is 
seen and its beneficent effects are produced. 
My first sight of the Nile gave no small degree 
of pleasure. All about us were rich fields care- 
fully cultivated and laden with bountiful pro- 
ducts of various kinds. Cotton raising is now 
an important industry in Egypt. There are cer- 
tain kinds of cotton grown in that country whose 
fiber is finer, it is said, than that of the cotton of 
any other land. 

The old methods of cultivating the soil are 
still practised. Here are small herds of brown 
buffaloes, and here peasants are irrigating the 
fields with buckets and using the shadoof. In- 
stead of the sterile fields all now is green and 
smiling ; on every side we see beautiful rural 
pictures. We are now approaching Zagazig. 
This town is in considerable part an outgrowth 
of the building of the Suez Canal. Here we 
see Frenchmen, Englishmen, Arabians, and rep- 



474 AROUND THE WORLD 

resentatives of many other nationalities. We 
are hastening to Cairo. Wonderful thoughts 
filled the mind as in silence this part of the 
journey was taken. 

This is indeed Egypt ; this is the land of the 
Pharaohs who built the pyramids, the sphinx, 
and other of the oldest and grandest monuments, 
and who dug a canal from the Nile to the Red 
Sea. This is the land in which the Israelites 
suffered and from which they marched in tri- 
umph. Here the Pharaohs ruled until about 
525 b. c, and then the Persians conquered 
Egypt. This is the land which Alexander the 
Great conquered from the Persians in 332 b. c, 
and founded Alexandria as the capital. This is 
the land which Ptolemy Soter, one of Alex- 
ander's generals, ruled, and he and his succes- 
sors, thirteen in all, are known in the history of 
the world as the Ptolemys. Under these rulers 
Egypt was prosperous. They founded great 
schools, and the vast library and museum at 
Alexandria, making that city the rival of Athens 
and Rome. This is the land where Cleopatra 
lived, loved, triumphed, and finally disappeared 
in defeat, darkness, and death. 

Egypt became a Roman province 30 b. c. In 
A. d. 640 the Arabs conquered it. For two cen- 
turies they held it as a province, and then it be- 
came an independent Mohammedan kingdom. 
Here the great Saladin ruled, here the Mame- 
lukes, originating as slaves brought from coun- 
tries near the Caspian Sea, became so powerful 
that they ruled or chose the rulers of the country. 



THE RED SEA 475 



In 1 51 7 the Turks conquered the country and 
are still its nominal masters. 

Yonder is Cairo ! Look just a few miles dis- 
tant and behold the dim outline of the ever- 
lasting pyramids ! We get our first glimpse of 
the pyramids through the shimmering haze of 
the evening as they are lined against the even- 
ing sky. The heart beats quickly ; a thousand 
memories rush upon the tourist ; he cannot but 
think of some of the descriptions in the " Thou- 
sand and One Nights." Cairo was once the 
wonder and delight of all tourists. Its women 
were spoken of as " the black-eyed virgins of 
Paradise." Its houses were considered as pal- 
aces, and in the glowing words of the hump- 
back, " Cairo ... is the mother of the world." 



XXXVII 

CAIRO, "THE VICTORIOUS" 

CAIRO was founded in a. d. 970, by Johar, 
who was a representative of the Fatimites ; 
and in commemoration of the conquest of Egypt 
he called it El Kahirah. He made Fostat his 
capital at the first, but in the twelfth century 
Cairo became the capital. The crusaders laid 
siege to Cairo in 1171, but finally withdrew on 
the approach of a Syrian army, and after having 
accepted a large sum of money. In 1786 the 
Turks defeated the Mameluke beys in a battle 
before Cairo, and took possession of the city ; 
but four years later they lost it, and it was at 
that time ravaged by fearful plagues. It was 
taken by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1798. 

With a few general facts of this kind in mind, 
we drove rapidly to the hotel, and found that 
here, as in so many other places, the tide of 
travel had passed, or had not yet come. There 
are some advantages in traveling out of season : 
hotels and railway trains are not crowded, guides 
are out of employment, and prices of all that 
one desires to secure are much lower than during 
the height of the season. 

The First City of Africa. — The Arabic 
476 



CAIRO, "THE VICTORIOUS" 477 



name for Cairo is Kahirah, meaning " The Vic- 
torious." The fuller name is Musr el-Kahirah. 
Natives call the town simply Musr ; it is the 
capital of Egypt, the most popular city of Africa, 
and next to Constantinople the most populous 
of the Turkish empire. It is on a sandy plain, 
and about one mile from the Nile on its east 
side. It is about ten miles above the apex of the 
Delta of the Nile, and one hundred and twenty 
miles southeast of Alexandria. The population 
must be about four hundred thousand, three- 
fourths of whom are probably Mohammedans. 
There are not fewer than sixty thousand Copts, 
and the rest of the population consists chiefly of 
Jews, Greeks, Armenians, and Europeans. The 
southeast part of the city, including the citadel, 
is built upon a spur of the Mokkatam Mountains. 
The circumference of the city is not less than 
seven miles. It is surrounded by a wall divided 
by a number of parts, the Mohammedans, Jews, 
Christians and others, each having a part. Some 
of the quarters are separated from one another 
by gates which are closed at night. 

The city presents from a distance a truly en- 
chanting spectacle; but, like most Oriental cities, 
when entered its streets are seen to be crooked, 
narrow, and most filthy. The houses of the 
poor are made of mud or of sun-baked bricks. 
The richer people live in houses of brick, wood, 
or of soft stone quarried in the Mokattam Hills. 
These latter houses are usually three stories 
high, while the houses of the poor are usually 
one story. Some of the streets are so narrow 



478 AROUND THE WORLD 

that loaded donkeys and camels scarcely leave 
room for people to pass ; but many of the new 
streets are wide and attractive. 

These newer streets are paved and well- 
watered, but the older streets are as dusty as 
they are dirty. Rain falls but rarely at Cairo, 
and at times the water conveyed by the Nile 
becomes stagnant and poisonous. Horses, until 
comparatively recent years, were seldom used, 
the usual mode of conveyance being by donkeys ; 
but the newer and wider streets make the use of 
carriages practicable. The principal public place 
is the Esbekiyah. Around this place are many 
hotels, some of them being really modern and 
excellent, judged by any standard. 

The bazaars are among the most attractive in 
any city in the East, almost as attractive as those 
of Damascus. One has to exercise self-control 
not to part with all his possessions, and not to 
draw upon his letter of credit for its full amount, 
when he wanders through these bazaars with his 
dragoman and several shopmen determined to 
make him purchase the attractive wares exposed 
for sale. 

There are in Cairo many public fountains 
and attractive squares. The citadel is built on 
a hill overlooking the city. Within its walls 
are the palace of the khedive, the mint, the bar- 
racks for soldiers, and one of the great and beau- 
tiful mosques of the city. Indeed, the mosques 
are the great boast of Cairo ; there are said to 
be not fewer than four hundred of them, and 
some of them are of the noblest specimens of 



CAIRO, "THE VICTORIOUS" 479 

Arabian architecture. The mosque of Sultan 
Hassan is the most celebrated. Its entrance is 
magnificent. Its interior is an unroofed court, 
and forming a part of the sacred edifice is the 
tomb. The mosque El-Azhar is well known for 
its symmetrical architecture, and for a college 
to which hundreds of students resort, coming 
from all parts of the Mohammedan world. It is 
said that this college is the great center of 
Arabic study and of the Arabian literature. 
The mosque of Tulum was founded in A. d. 879. 
The mosque of Mehemet Ali attracts the at- 
tention of all tourists. 

I have already spoken of the fact that differ- 
ent races inhabit distinct quarters. The Coptic 
quarter is always a point of interest because of 
the ancient Christian church found therein, and 
because of the tradition that Mary and Joseph 
with the infant Jesus resided in that vicinity. 
In the Frank quarter is the library of the Egyp- 
tian Society. There are also Protestant and 
Catholic charitable institutions in Cairo. I had 
the opportunity of seeing a part of the work 
done by an American religious society. 

At certain seasons of the year Cairo is filled 
with Britons and Americans. English is then 
spoken in all the hotels and is often heard in 
the public streets. Now French is practically 
the language of trade and of social life. French 
is spoken everywhere. Cairo strikes one as 
being to an unusual degree like Paris, having a 
large number of cafes on the streets and many 
other similar features. In the hotels there are 



480 AROUND THE WORLD 

newspapers in English, French, German, Greek, 
Italian, and Arabic. This is truly a cosmopolitan 
and polyglot city. 

One must visit Boolak and Musr el-Aatik. 
This name is given to distinguish the town from 
Cairo proper. This suburb is called Fostat, and 
sometimes by Europeans, Old Cairo. From Fos- 
tat a canal runs through Cairo, which probably 
formed a part of the ancient canal connecting 
the Nile with the Red Sea. It contains among 
its ancient buildings one structure called the 
" granary of Joseph." It is interesting to know 
that this building is still used as a storage of 
grain. 

On the island of Roda, which quietly nestles 
in the bosom of the river, is the celebrated Nilo- 
meter. This is a rude method by means of a 
graduated column for indicating the height of 
the Nile during its annual overflow. The Nilo- 
meter is very old, just how old no one may at- 
tempt to affirm. This island is reached by a 
ferry-boat and here the courteous, and doubtless 
veracious, gardener will point out the exact 
place where Moses was rescued by the king's 
daughter. We saw here also specimens of the 
henna plant, from which comes the dye in which 
the dragoman and many other men and women 
dip their finger-nails and the palms of their 
hands. 

A visit to the Shoobra palace, in the vicinity 
of Cairo, gives the opportunity of enjoying a 
charmingly beautiful drive through an avenue 
of sycamore and lebbec. This is one of the 



Cairo, "the; victorious n 481 

most favorite drives of citizens and tourists in 
the evening twilight. Here every style of car- 
riage may be met. Here the ladies of the harem 
are supposed to ride at times. The summer 
palace at this place is surrounded by most charm- 
ing gardens, and the apartments of the palace 
are furnished after the most gorgeous fashion. 
The exhibition of Egyptian antiquities in the 
Boolak Museum carries the mind back to the 
age of the great Cheops. There are in the dif- 
ferent museums satisfactory historical evidences 
that Egyptian history goes back at least to 5000 
b. c. 

At the Pyramids. — A drive of about ten 
miles takes the tourist to the pyramids of Gizeh. 
We cross the Nile on its remarkably fine iron 
bridge, and then drive over a level road well 
lined with trees. This road brings us to a rocky 
plateau which forms a foundation for these great 
structures. I was well prepared by all I had 
read and heard to meet as I alighted the ras- 
cally Arabs who make life a burden to all who 
visit the pyramids. They wait to beg, to as- 
sist, or to steal, and perhaps to murder if the 
opportunity afforded. For a few pennies, or 
shillings at most, they will run up and down the 
pyramids like monkeys. After one's patience 
has been tested and tried it does not matter much 
to him whether they come down or fall down. 

The pyramids were first seen as Cairo was 
approached. They were seen also from the cit- 
adel as one looked out over the city, — the plain, 



482 AROUND TH£ WORLD 

the river, the Mokattam Hills, and then the 
pyramids, ten miles distant. We know that 
pyramids are found in Persia, India, and Mex- 
ico, but the most celebrated are those of Egypt. 
They are built of blocks of stone so large that 
the builders must have had some unknown ma- 
chinery for lifting them into their position. Their 
outside, doubtless, was covered with smaller 
stones and cement so as to form a smooth sur- 
face ; but this surface is now broken, leaving the 
stones like stairs on which one can readily climb. 
The largest pyramid, that of Cheops, is four 
hundred and fifty feet high and was formerly at 
least thirty feet higher than at present. The 
others are smaller, but equally symmetrical, 
though not so imposing. Many statistics might 
be given regarding these wonderful structures, 
but it is not difficult to become possessed of 
these facts if one desires them. 

What is the impression which they produce ? 
They certainly are large and very old. There they 
stand upon the border of the desert exhibiting 
the folly of the monarchs who built them to 
perpetuate their fame. Mr. Ballou well says 
that they are " symbols of ancient tyranny and 
injustice, tears and death." The builders erected 
them to make their own names immortal, and 
now the names of these builders are unknown ; 
there is a little doubt even as to the purpose for 
which they were erected. Some say that it was 
to prevent the sand from blowing in upon the 
land. Others that they were erected as great 
granaries. Others that they were built for as- 



CAIRO, "THE VICTORIOUS" 483 

tronomical purposes ; and still others that they 
were intended to be great tombs. Doubtless, 
the last is the correct supposition, but they 
have really failed of their purpose. 

They illustrate no genius in design or execu- 
tion. Given time enough and money enough and 
Americans to-day could erect far more massive 
structures. They exhibit no art, and no taste, 
and they have no religious significance. They 
are illustrations of gigantic folly and unpardon- 
able ambition. They are simply vast piles of 
stone without proofs of architectural skill, or 
artistic genius, or religious emotion. When you 
have said that they are big and that they are 
old, you have said all that really can be said. 
Mr. Ballou has well remarked that in the cave 
temples of Elephanta, Ellora, and Carlee, in the 
idolatrous Hindu temples of Madura, Tanjore 
and Trichinopoly, the shrines of Ceylon, the 
pagodas of China, and the temples of Nikko 
there is some thought of an elevating sentiment, 
a grand and reverential idea, a suggestion of re- 
ligious instinct and aspiration ; but in the pyra- 
mids we have only an embodiment of personal 
pride which ended without accomplishing a 
worthy ambition. 

All histories relating to these vast structures 
are involved in doubt. Some claim that Egypt 
was seven thousand years old and was a great 
and prosperous nation before the building of 
these monstrous monuments, but no one can 
speak with authority touching any of these mat- 
ters. In the smallest of the three pyramids, 



484 AROUND THE WORUD 

that of Mycerinus, a mummy of a human being 
was found which can now be seen in the British 
Museum. Many romantic stories are told of the 
beautiful Egyptian princess who erected this 
pyramid, but all these stories are mere tradi- 
tions, and they furnish no satisfactory evidence 
regarding the time when, the persons by whom, 
or the purposes for which these great structures 
were erected. 

The Sphinx. — The sphinx, however, is worthy 
of careful study during repeated visits. No one 
who has ever seen that calm, majestic face and 
figure can forget either. A few hundred feet 
from the pyramids stands this colossal mystery. 
The Arabs call it " The Father of Terror." Its 
body and most of its head has been hewn out of 
a solid rock where it stands. The paws and 
body of an animal are represented with the head 
and bust of a human being. The face is said 
to be thirty feet long and fifteen feet wide. Per- 
haps this mysterious figure is much older than 
the pyramids. It would seem as if it formed 
part of an ancient temple and perhaps between 
the lion-like paws of the sphinx there was an 
altar or sanctuary. Many archaeologists believe 
that human beings were once offered between 
these paws as sacrifices to some divinity. It was 
a striking thought of a modern painter to place 
here the child Jesus, and Joseph and Mary. 
For thousands and thousands of years this 
strange figure has looked out on the sand of the 
desert. Its face is now mutilated, showing the 



CAIRO, "THE VICTORIOUS" 485 

furrows of time and of storms ; but still the sad, 
mystic, peaceful, fascinating expression remains. 
One who has seen the bronze image of Dai-Butsu, 
at Kamakura in Japan, cannot but observe the 
similarity in expression on the countenances of 
these two figures, and also in the strange fasci- 
nation which both exercise upon the beholder. 
Dynasties have risen and fallen ; republics have 
danced into light and died into shade ; and all 
the while this mystic, majestic figure, defaced, 
crumbling in parts, has looked out in its calm- 
ness, silence, mystery, and majesty on the desert 
sands of Egypt. 

Streets of Cairo. — We come back to busy, 
bustling, polyglot Cairo. It is a town of many 
manufactures, and a central station of the over- 
land route to India. Once there were here slave 
markets, and although the trade is prohibited in 
the Ottoman Empire, it is said still to be carried 
on clandestinely in Cairo. There is a lucrative 
trade in precious stones and jewelry. Here 
Italian, French, Greek, Armenian, and other ad- 
venturers, are found. Here immense caravans 
assemble annually to make the pilgrimage to 
Mecca. 

One sees in Cairo Egyptian women of great 
beauty, but also giving evidence of their de- 
graded condition. Among them education is 
almost unknown. They have no intellectual 
life. A Mohammedan who can afford the ex- 
pense is permitted to have at least four wives ; 
he may have many more, but the children of 



486 AROUND THE WORLD 

four are considered legitimate. Walking along 
the streets and looking up at the overhanging 
balconies, one can well imagine the life which 
the women of the harem live. Occasionally it 
was possible to get a glimpse of some of them as 
they were stealing glances between the lattices. 

Here as elsewhere in cities where Mohamme- 
dans abound, the muezzin is heard calling the 
faithful to their prayers. Wonderful are the 
street cries which one hears in Cairo. The 
water carrier with a skin slung over his shoulder 
shouts: " God's gift, limpid water ! " Another 
cries : " Oh, figs, Oh, believers, here are figs ! " 
Still another shouts : " Oh, woman, to the left ! " 
And to the peddler of eggs he calls : " Oh, eggs, 
out of the way ! " And the beggar never fails, 
with a strange mingling of authority and humil- 
ity, to say, " Oh, Christian, backsheesh ! " If you 
give him a generous amount your dragoman 
will tell you that he is asking all sorts of bless- 
ing from Allah for yourself and all your relatives ; 
but if you refuse him, you may know that he is 
calling down Allah's curses upon you and your 
family for several generations. 

Most interesting was it in Cairo to see British 
officers riding through the streets, and at the 
citadel to see British soldiers everywhere on 
guard. I confess that it gave me genuine pleas- 
ure to see our British brethren in charge of this 
ancient city and land. Britain has a foothold in 
Egypt, and she will not be likely soon to retire 
from that land of the Pharaohs. Wherever 
Britain goes, law, order, liberty, and religion 



CAIRO, "THE VICTORIOUS" 487 



also go. Speaking of the citadel, it seems strange 
enough to be shown about those ancient walls by 
those British officers. Marvelous is the view 
from the wall of this citadel. Below is the city 
with its countless minarets, its domed mosques, 
its squares, and its terraced roofs. Yonder stretch 
the plains of lower Egypt. Here are the tombs 
of the Mamelukes ; there the lonely column of 
Heliopolis, the famous " City of the Sun." In 
the distance is the land of Goshen where the 
sons of Jacob fed their flocks ; there the mysteri- 
ous Nile, the island of Roda, and beyond, the 
pyramids rising in their unique grandeur and 
glory. 

Alexandria. — Too soon I had my last view 
of that great historic and mysterious city of 
Cairo. In order to save time I went by night 
train to Alexandria, whence I was to sail for 
Palestine. Leaving Cairo at eleven, I reached 
Alexandria before six the following morning. 
The night was cool. A strange change had 
come over the weather, and an overcoat was 
worn from the time we reached Suez, after the 
great heat of the Red Sea, until I reached Jop- 
pa ; and even an overcoat required to be sup- 
plemented by a heavy rug, in order that comfort 
might be enjoyed while the night ride was taken 
from Cairo to Alexandria. 

There was time to see something of this inter- 
esting city before the steamer sailed shortly 
before noon for Joppa. We know that this city 
was founded by Alexander the Great, 332 b. c. 



488 AROUND THE WORLD 

He laid it out in squares, and in the center where 
the streets met was his own mausoleum. His 
body was embalmed in a coffin of pure gold, and 
when that coffin was stolen, an alabaster coffin 
was used. The whole world is familiar with 
the island of Pharos on which was built, by 
Ptolemy Philadelphus, the famous lighthouse 
which was called one of the wonders of the 
world. We know that it was a large square 
tower of white marble, and that on its top fires 
were always burning, which became a guide for 
mariners far out at sea. A great mole or pier 
was built from the city to the Pharos, and thus 
two harbors were formed. 

The whole world knows also of the royal 
palace, the great theatres, and the vast library 
of Alexandria. This library was said to contain 
four hundred thousand volumes ; but we know 
that our method of reckoning the number of 
volumes would greatly reduce this total. Julius 
Caesar burned the library -of the museum when 
he besieged Alexandria. Cleopatra afterward 
added the library of the kings of Pergamos 
which Mark Antony gave her, and finally this 
library was said to contain seven hundred thous- 
and volumes ; but, as already suggested, their 
method of reckoning volumes was different from 
ours. Each part of a book was called a book at 
that day. For four hundred years this city re- 
mained the center of learning. 

The Serapeum, or temple of Serapis, with the 
exception of the capitol at Rome, was said to be 
the most magnificent building in the world. But 



CAIRO, "THE VICTORIOUS" 4 8 9 

Theodosius gave orders to destroy all heathen 
temples in the Roman Empire, and the Christians 
of Alexandria tore down the Serapeum. 

The Romans became masters of Alexandria 
30 b. c, but the city retained its greatness until 
Constantinople was made the capital of the 
empire. Alexandria lost her East Indian trade 
when the passage to India was made by sailing 
round the Cape of Good Hope. Since the open- 
ing of the Suez Canal considerable trade and 
traveling have gone to Alexandria. Its popula- 
tion is perhaps not less than two hundred and 
fifty thousand. The new city is in the mole 
between the old city and the island of Pharos. 

I drove through the streets and had the oppor- 
tunity of visiting the column known as Pompey's 
Pillar; it ought, however, to be called Diocle- 
tian's Pillar, as it was erected in his honor when 
he took Alexandria, a. d. 296. It is a Corin- 
thian column of red granite, nearly one hundred 
feet high. Some suppose it was originally a 
column of the Serapeum. 

Near the shore formerly stood the two obelisks, 
called Cleopatra's Needles. This was merely a 
fanciful name, as Cleopatra was guiltless of any 
relation to them. For at least one thousand two 
hundred years they had stood in front of the 
temple of the sun at Heliopolis. From that an- 
cient city Julius Caesar brought them to adorn 
his own temple, which was called the Csesareum. 
Mehemet Ali gave one of them to the British 
government, and in 1877 it was taken to Lon- 
don. Ismail Pasha gave the other to the United 



49° AROUND THE WORLD 

States, and in 1880 it was taken to New York 
City, and to-day it stands in our Central Park. 

Alexandria is still a busy city. Its harbor is 
filled with vessels representing many nations, 
and its docks give evidence of a brisk trade in 
many commodities. It will doubtless increase 
in importance with Egypt's enlarging prosperity. 

My visit in Egypt was quite too short. There 
was no opportunity to go up the Nile or to see 
the country beyond the Pyramids, but a very 
considerable amount was seen in the limited 
time at my disposal. Near noon of Wednesday, 
the twenty-fifth day of September, 1895, we 
pushed out into the sea, this wonderful Mediter- 
ranean, along whose shores rose and fell the civ- 
ilizations of many centuries and many nations. 
He who writes the history of the Mediterranean 
Sea will, to a great degree, write the history of 
the human race in its various conflicts, dishonors, 
and defeats, on the one hand, and its triumphs 
and glories on the other. A marvelous volume 
it would be, could one write the history of that 
sea whose very name, Mid-earth Sea, indicates 
the place which it held in the thought of men 
and has held in the affairs of the globe — Med- 
iterranean, the center of the earth. Alexandria 
fades from sight ; its towers, minarets, and light- 
house finally disappeared from view. 

Palestine, the land of patriarchs and prophets, 
came before us. Wonderful thoughts filled the 
soul as its shore was approached. In the author's 
volume, entitled " Sunday Night Lectures on 
The Land and The Book," he gives an account 



CAIRO, "THE VICTORIOUS" 491 

of his visit to that holiest of lands beneath the 
sky, and his next chapter in this volume will 
take up the history after the trip through the 
Holy Land was made and the journey was re- 
sumed at Beyrout. 



CHAPTER XXXVIII 

" THE ISLES OF GREECE " 

IT will scarcely be doubted that picturesquely, 
historically, classically, and biblically, the 
Grecian Archipelago is one of the most interest- 
ing regions on the surface of the globe. Perhaps 
the Japan Inland Sea, considered simply with 
reference to its picturesqueness, will compare 
favorably with the JEge&n Sea ; but in the other 
particulars named the latter very far surpasses 
the former. 

Oriental Passengers. — It was a motley 
group of passengers which filled the decks of the 
steamer on which we sailed from Beyrout for 
Constantinople. Many of these passengers se- 
lected small squares in the second class portions 
of the deck, and surrounded these squares with 
curtains made of shawls and various materials, 
thus forming the enclosed space into miniature 
seraglios. Among these passengers were Rus- 
sians, Greeks, Italians, Egyptians, Syrians, and 
representatives of various other nationalities. It 
was a strange allotment of bags, bundles, and 
people of many nationalities, heaped indiscrimi- 
nately together. 

Among them were some pashas who with 
492 



THE ISLES OF GREECE 493 

their many so-called wives were returning from 
Syria to Constantinople. Some of these officials 
were gayly turbaned and elaborately dressed in 
silk and other expensive materials. Their highly 
colored rugs, cushions, and robes added pictur- 
esque brilliancy to the motley groups. In some 
of the cabins were women of other harems re- 
turning without the pashas, but under the care 
of older women and the sexless men who from 
time immemorial have been associated with the 
women of this class. The imaginary beauty of 
many of the harem women seems to be merely 
imaginary, and while some might be described 
as beautiful, the majority were coarse, ugly, and 
vulgar. There was a feeling: of indescribable 
disgust as one watched the conduct, and listened 
to the remarks of some of these women. 

Whole families of the better class of second 
class passengers were within these compartments 
formed by cords and hangings. Men, women, 
and children seemed to be promiscuously crowded 
into these extemporized compartments. Some 
of them seemed to be sea-sick in family groups. 
The sights and sounds were not conducive to 
composure, even on the part of those who were 
well seasoned to the dangerous effects of ocean 
travel. Women with and without veils, were 
somewhat indiscriminately associated, some of 
them wearing baggy silk trousers and gayly em- 
broidered jackets. 

There were Turkish officials from Damascus 
and other places in Syria returning to Constan- 
tinople. With some of these I formed a travel- 



494 AROUND THE WORLD 

ing acquaintance, and found them to be well-in- 
formed and really agreeable gentlemen. All 
spoke French, and some English with accuracy 
and a few with elegance. The Moslems are 
devout, according to their conception of devout- 
ness, wherever they may chance to be. They 
spread their prayer-carpets on the deck, and serv- 
ants and masters together repeat their prayers at 
the appointed hours with the customary kneel- 
ings and prostrations. 

One who has never gone over a bit of sea in 
the Orient can form but little conception of 
the commingling of nationalities, bright-colored 
garments, varied social customs, and religious 
faiths, seen on the deck of one of these Oriental 
steamers. A volume might be written on this 
part of the journey alone. 

Historic Places. — It is impossible to exhaust 
the associations, biblical and classical, which 
gather about these isles of Greece. It is neces- 
sary, however, in the brief space at our com- 
mand to speak with brevity of places so replete 
with interest. North of us, as we started in the 
journey, were Seleucia and the ever-memorable 
Tarsus, the birthplace of the matchless Paul. 

We passed quite near the famous island of 
Cyprus. This island has become especially in- 
teresting to Americans in these recent years 
because of the relation to it and America of M. 
Cesnola. Cyprus is known to the Turks as 
Kybris. Its breadth is from sixty miles to five, 
from north to south, and it is about one hundred 



THE ISLES OF GREECE 495 

and fifty miles long. Its population is perhaps 
two hundred thousand, but is said to have been 
one million when under the rule of Venice. 
Salamis, modern name Koluri, is chiefly remem- 
bered because of the great naval battle there be- 
tween the Greeks and the Persians, 480 b. c. Its 
location can be traced by the ruins of its founda- 
tions and buildings. Paphos was seven miles 
and a half to the northwest of old Paphos. The 
goddess of the island was Venus, here called 
Cypria. Perhaps there was no place in which 
her worship was more luxurious and abominable 
than at Paphos. Her temple at this place was 
famous for its wealth and for the splendor of all 
its appointments. 

Here, where superstition was so common and 
sin so fascinating, Christianity was to be estab- 
lished. Here the beautiful creations of Greek art 
had ministered only to evil passions ; but here the 
truth as it is in Christ was to be proclaimed, and 
a Christian civilization was to be created. At 
this island the civilizations and religions of the 
East and West came face to face ; here barbar- 
ism and civilization met. Here Greek and 
Oriental idolatry came largely into union and 
into conflict. A century ago, many interesting 
busts, coins, medals, and bowls were discovered 
on this island ; but within the last quarter of a 
century Cesnola has made discoveries which 
have surprised the world, enriched America, and 
immortalized himself. 

Pressing on our way from Cyprus, we soon had 
Perga in Pamphylia on our right. The word 



496 AROUND THE WORLD 

Pamphylia signifies, All-tribe-land. It is said 
that the inhabitants here, although principally 
of Greek extraction, were a medley of many 
nationalities. It would have been most inter- 
esting and instructive had time permitted to 
visit all the towns of Asia Minor made famous 
in New Testament history. North of us were 
L,ystra, Iconium, Antioch of Pisidia, and Derbe. 

On our left lay the island of Crete which is at 
the front of the iESgean group. It is now called 
Candia, but the Turkish name is Kyrid. The 
island is one hundred and sixty miles long, and 
varies from thirty-five miles to six miles wide. It 
has a population of perhaps three hundred thou- 
sand. This island in ancient times was prosperous 
to a large degree. It gave birth to the legislator 
Minos, whose laws largely shaped the civilization 
of Greece. The natives of Crete were celebrated 
as archers. References to the character of the 
Cretans by many authors agree with the quota- 
tion which the Apostle Paul gives us from one 
of their own poets : " The Cretans are always 
liars, evil beasts, slow bellies." This quotation 
is supposed to be from the hymn on "Jove," by 
Callimachus ; but it is said that he was not a 
Cretan, and there is much doubt both as to him 
and the reference which he makes. It is a com- 
mon opinion to this hour that the Cretans are 
the very worst people in the Levant. The repu- 
tation of these islanders to-day is thus in har- 
mony with the allusion which Paul makes to the 
character which they bore in his day. 

To us the chief interest in this island is its 



THE ISLES OF GREECE 497 

connection with Paul's voyage to Italy. His 
ship first made the promontory of Salmone on 
the eastern side of the island, and they finally 
took shelter at a place called Fair-Havens. Con- 
trary to the advice of Paul, an effort was made 
to reach Phoenice, a more commodious harbor 
on the western part of the island. While at- 
tempting to reach this harbor they were driven 
by furious winds and wrecked on the island of 
Melita. 

In 1866 the Christians of Crete rose against 
their Turkish masters, and much sympathy was 
extended them at that time by the people of 
the United States ; and while these words are 
writing (1895), a revolution is in progress in this 
island which is causing the utmost anxiety to 
these same Turkish masters. What the result 
will be no one may attempt to prophesy, but it 
is safe to say in a general way that the power of 
the " unspeakable Turk " will before long be 
broken, if not destroyed, in almost every country 
over which he exercises his abominable sway. 

Rhodes. — Soon we were at Rhodes, where 
our ship made a considerable stay, and where 
the opportunity was given to see this interesting 
and historic island with considerable care. It 
was difficult to realize that we were really at the 
place where stood the famous Colossus of Rhodes. 
There is probably no view in the Levant more 
celebrated than that from Rhodes toward the 
opposite shore of Asia Minor. The last ranges 
of Mount Taurus come down in grandeur to the 

2G 



498 AROUND THE WORXD 

sea ; a long line of snowy summits was seen on 
the Lycian coast ; and the beautiful blue waters 
lay calmly under the equally blue and beautiful 
sky. The town comes down to the shore, and 
is flanked by green hills and verdant gardens. 
These hills rise into massive boldness as they 
recede from the shore. It will not be forgotten 
that the word Rhodes, Greek Rhodas, is from the 
word rodom, a rose. 

The island now belongs to Turkey. It has an 
area of about four hundred and fifty-two square 
miles, and a population of about thirty-five 
thousand. In this population the majority are 
Turks, but there are Jews, Greeks, and different 
classes of Europeans. The island is ruled by a 
pasha, who holds his office for life, and who also 
governs several of the adjoining islands which 
belong to Turkey. A mountain ridge divides 
the island from north to south. There are on 
the island well-watered, fertile, and cultivated 
valleys. Probably there is no island of the 
Mediterranean whose climate is finer. There is 
a considerable amount of commerce carried on 
in oil, oranges, citrons, coral, sponges, leather, 
and marble. 

It is believed that the earliest inhabitants were 
of the Doric race. The three most ancient towns 
of this island, Lindus, Ialysus, and Camirus, 
formed, together with Cos, Cnidus, and Hali- 
carnassus on the mainland, the confederation 
which was known as the Doric Hexapolis. This 
island was once one of the stations of Phoenician 
commerce. The Rhodians with others estab- 



THE ISLES OF GREECE 499 

lished, in 578 b. c, a colony on the northeastern 
coast of Spain, calling it Rhoda, and it is now 
known as Rosas. The island came under the 
dominion of Alexander the Great, and after his 
death the Macedonian garrison was expelled. 
Rhodes then entered upon her most glorious 
epoch ; but the city was captured in 42 B. c, 
because of its adhesion to the party of Csesar. 
From this time the political power of the island 
declined. The Emperor Vespasian finally de- 
prived the city of its autonomy. The island 
was successively owned by the caliphs, the cru- 
saders, and the Genoese. 

A brilliant period of its history is associated 
with the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem, who 
landed at Rhodes in 1309, after they had been 
obliged to evacuate Palestine. They soon van- 
quished the Moslems, and made themselves mas- 
ters of the island. They held it until Sultan 
Solyman, the Magnificent, advanced against it 
with an army of two hundred thousand men, to 
oppose which the knights had a force of only 
six thousand. The siege lasted for months, and 
the defense was heroic ; but the knights were 
obliged to surrender, and the city has been 
under its present masters ever since. 

The chief city has a population of about 
twenty thousand. It is built in the form of an 
amphitheatre upon a bay between two capes. 
Remains of the ancient walls and towers built 
by the Knights of St. John are still seen. The 
famous Colossus, or " Statue of the Sun," was 
one of the seven wonders of the world. It was 



500 AROUND The world 

of bronze, and twelve years were spent in its 
construction. Its height was one hundred and 
five feet. It was erected by the Rhodians to 
commemorate their successful resistance of the 
tenth siege of Demetrius Poliocertes, the em- 
peror of Syria. 

This famous statue remained standing only 
about fifty years. About two hundred years be- 
fore Christ it was overthrown by an earthquake, 
and for nearly nine hundred years the fragments 
lay upon the ground. They were then sold and 
carried away into Emesa on nine hundred camels. 
When the Apostle Paul was at Rhodes, the main 
portion of the famous statue was prostrate ; he 
saw only portions of the buttresses. It is said 
that there were three hundred other statues in 
this famous city. Rhodes has been frequently 
greatly injured by earthquakes, that of April 
22, 1863 being one of the severest. A terrific 
powder explosion in 1856 destroyed all the 
principal buildings, some of which are still heaps 
of ruins. Looking at this city as we approached 
it, one could not help remembering the words 
found in Acts 21 : 1, "The day following unto 
Rhodes." 

Apostolic Associations. — Near us as we 
pressed forward was Myra, where Paul touched 
(Acts 27 : 5). Near Myra is Patrse, where once 
it was supposed that the fire on the altar of 
Apollo burned. Myra is on the mainland east 
of Rhodes, and in the vicinity is Cnidus which 
Paul reached with difficulty, " the wind not 



THE ISLES OF GREECE 501 



suffering us " (Acts 27 : 7). We soon passed by 
Cos. This place is famous for the fortifications 
erected here by Alcibiades toward the close of 
the Peloponnesian War. It will also be remem- 
bered that it was the seat of the medical school 
traditionally connected with the name of ^scu- 
lapius. It has been well suggested that doubt- 
less the Christian physician, Luke, could scarcely 
have been ignorant of the celebrity of Cos. 

Opposite Cos, and on the coast of Caria, was 
Halicarnassus, the birthplace of Herodotus, "the 
father of history," and also of Dionysius, the 
literary critic and historian. Miletus is on the 
mainland in this vicinity. It will be remem- 
bered that it was here the apostle had his affect- 
ing interview with the elders of Ephesus, who 
came down a distance of about thirty miles to 
meet him. 

It is not easy to describe the emotions with 
which I gazed upon the island of Patmos. 
Wonderfully vivid were the memories of the 
letters to the seven churches of Asia communi- 
cated on that island by the risen and enthroned 
Jesus to the imprisoned John. It is a remark- 
able fact that we have in the New Testament 
not only epistles from famous apostles, but epis- 
tles also from the Lord Jesus Christ himself. 
Yes, on yonder island was the scene of the Reve- 
lation. Here the Lord in some manner con- 
versed with his beloved disciple. On that island 
visions of indescribable glory were opened to 
the eyes of every believer. On these mountains, 
islands, and waters, the eye of the beloved John 



502 AROUND THE WORLD 

rested. Listening to the sublime music of these 
waters on the rock-bound shore, and looking out 
over their sparkling surface, he wrote the words, 
" and the sea gave up its dead." 

Marvelously real were these New Testament 
scenes as I walked the deck of the ship and 
gazed out on the irregular mass of bleak and 
barren rock called Patmos. Its name is now 
Patino, but it was called during the middle ages 
Palmosa, or the island of palms. It is one of 
the ancient group of Sporades, and now belongs 
to Turkey. It is about thirty miles west of the 
coast of Asia Minor and twenty miles south of 
the western extremity of Samos. The island is 
about ten miles long, five broad, and over thirty 
in circumference. A narrow isthmus divides it 
into two unequal parts. Its chief port on the 
eastern side of the isthmus is said to be one of 
the best harbors in all the Greek islands. 

The Romans used it as a place of banishment, 
and to it Domitian consigned the beloved disci- 
ple, perhaps in the year a. d. 94. It is believed 
that the Apostle John was recalled after the ty- 
rant's death September 18, a. d. 96; but there 
is much doubt regarding these dates, and they 
cannot be affirmed with complete accuracy. 

There is a village of some fifty or sixty houses 
and shops at the landing-place, but the town is 
on the ridge about half an hour distant from the 
landing. Still higher is the celebrated monas- 
tery bearing the name of "John the Divine." 
It was built by the Byzantine emperors in the 
twelfth century, and is inhabited still by about 



THE ISLES OF GREECE 503 

fifty monks. There is a library containing 
about one thousand printed volumes. Below 
the monastery is the grotto in which the apostle 
is said to have written the Apocalypse. The 
inhabitants number about four thousand, and 
are mostly Greeks, whose reputation is anything 
but good. They live by fishing and boating, 
and by doing a little agricultural work. The 
island is deficient in trees, but abounds in flower- 
ing plants and shrubs. Fruit trees are grown in 
the orchards, and the wine is said to be the best 
flavored of any in the Greek islands. Samos 
and Trogyllium are not far distant from Patmos. 
At Trogyllium the Apostle Paul spent a night, 
and an anchorage there is still called St. Paul's 
Port. 

A Glimpse of Athens. — It was a wonder- 
ful realization when we found ourselves at the 
Piraeus and within a few miles of immortal 
Athens. Here we left the steamer and took the 
railway to the famous city. All the memories 
of academic and collegiate days rushed upon the 
mind with irresistible power. Again the dear 
face of Dr. A. C. Kendrick was seen and his 
voice was heard as he used to repeat the words 
of Lord Byron : 

The isles of Greece, the isles of Greece ! 

Where burning Sappho loved and sung, 
Where grew the arts of war and peace, 
Where Delos rose and Phoebus sprung ! 
Eternal summer gilds them yet, 
But all except their sun is set ! 



504 AROUND THE WORLD 

The words of Milton also sung themselves in 
memory : 

Athens, the eye of Greece ! Mother of arts 

And eloquence ! Native to famous wits ! 

See there the olive grove of Academe, 

Plato' s retirement, where the Attic bird 

Trills her thick-warbled notes the summer long ; 

There — flowery hill — Hymettus, with the sound 

Of bees' industrious murmur, oft invites 

To studious musing ; there Ilissus rolls 

His whispering stream. Within the walls then view 

The schools of ancient sages — his who bred 

Great Alexander to subdue the world, 

Lyceum then, and painted Stoa next. 

Could it be possible that the dream of years was 
about to be realized, and we were actually with- 
in a few minutes to be in Athens ? It seemed 
almost too good to be true. Marvelous Athens ! 
City of Socrates, of Plato, of Zeno, of Aristotle, 
of Miltiades, Themistocles, Demosthenes, Sopho- 
cles, Phidias, Praxiteles, and, greater than these, 
the city of Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles ! 
Soon we were across the level plain and were in 
immortal Athens itself. 

Instead of a paragraph, one would like to 
write a volume on a visit to this city, but it is 
better not to begin the description than to cut 
it off midway. Soon we were on the way to 
Mars' Hill, or the Areopagus. We climbed the 
stone steps to the top of the hill, perhaps to the 
very spot where the Apostle Paul stood when 
he delivered his magnificent sermon. Wonder- 
ful thoughts filled the soul as that scene and 



THE ISLES OF GREECE 505 

auditory were reproduced. With new meaning 
his allusions to temples made with hands, forced 
themselves upon mind and heart 

From the Areopagus the distance is short to 
the Acropolis. One might well visit this place 
every day, if he were to spend months at the 
Grecian capital. Perhaps one may be pardoned 
even though he could not control his emotions 
when standing on that historic spot and gazing 
out over the city, the plain, and the mountains. 
Marvelous Parthenon, the pride of Greece and 
the wonder of the world ! It has been called, 
" the finest edifice on the finest site in the world, 
hallowed by the noblest recollections that can 
stimulate the human heart." This building 
was completed in 438 b. c. Built by Pericles, 
it was adorned by Phidias, and is said to have 
cost at least four millions of dollars of our 
money. I shall not attempt to describe these 
marvelous places and structures, nor the Great 
Stadium, nor the Theseum. Matchless Athens ! 

On the Acropolis one's emotions are akin to 
those experienced on the Mount of Olives. One 
cannot but compare the two cities — Athens and 
Jerusalem ; Athens representing the world of 
culture, Jerusalem, the world of revealed relig- 
ion. Athens was the metropolis of this world 
without revelation. Jerusalem was the city of 
the mighty Jehovah. 

The glorious sunshine, the cloudless sky, the 
refreshing breeze, the commingled memories, 
all made this visit to Athens an epoch in one's 
life and an undimmed light in one's memory. 



506 AROUND THE WORLD 

There is no other city in the world, with which, 
in its own special sphere, "august Athena" can 
be compared. The last look was taken at this 
immortal city as the train carried us to the 
Piraeus, and the last look at the glorious plains 
and hills as the steamer bore us on our journey 
toward Constantinople. 

It was a matter of regret that I was not per- 
mitted to visit Ephesus, the old capital of Ionia, 
in Lydia. This town is believed to have been 
founded about 1043 B * c * ^ * s we ^ known that 
for many centuries it was the cradle of Hellenic 
mythology. It is inseparably associated with 
the preaching of Luke, Paul, Barnabas, and 
Poly carp. It took high rank among sacred 
cities as well as among schools of art and 
philosophy. It was also prominent among the 
seven churches of Asia. Its temple of Diana, 
glittering in beauty at the head of the harbor, 
was one of the wonders of the world. I could 
only locate it in my thoughts as we sailed on- 
ward, but even this suggestion of its location 
fixed afresh in my mind the many allusions made 
to it in classical and biblical story. 

Smyrna. — And now we are anchored at 
Smyrna. Would that we might take the rail- 
way from here to Ephesus, a distance of fifty 
miles. It surely is an evidence of remarkable 
progress that there should be a railway in this 
ancient and distant city. The world is moving 
onward with rapid strides. Smyrna, Turkish 
Ismir, is situated at the head of the gulf of 



THE ISLES OF GREECE S°7 

Smyrna. The first dwellers established them- 
selves here probably one hundred and fifty years 
before our era. Smyrna has occupied a great 
place, both in secular and ecclesiastical history, 
and the remains of ancient Smyrna fully attest 
the high degree of its civilization. Columns, 
statuary, and many articles of precious metals 
and gems have been dug up here for centuries 
and now adorn the museums of Europe. 

Christianity was probably introduced into 
Smyrna during the first century. Polycarp, a 
disciple of the Apostle John, was one of its early 
bishops. Smyrna sent its bishop, Eutyches, to 
the ecumenical council held at Nice in 325. 
Smyrna is one of the seven apocalyptic churches, 
and it, with Philadelphia, is commended ; and it 
is a remarkable fact that these two cities are still 
flourishing, while the other five are, for the 
most part, a mass of ruins. 

Smyrna has frequently suffered from earth- 
quakes. The modern town is built upon the 
slopes of Mount Pagus. The houses are usually 
two stories high and are built of wooden beams 
encased in stone ; the beams are thus preserved 
from fire and the houses strengthened against 
earthquakes. There are several Greek churches, 
Protestant and Roman Catholic churches or 
chapels, and one Jewish synagogue. Smyrna is 
well supplied with schools and has French, 
Greek, and Armenian weekly papers. It is the 
chief mart for European commerce in Asia Mi- 
nor. Its railways make it a marked city and its 
neighborhood is justly celebrated for its beauty. 



508 AROUND THE WORLD 

There are fine groves of cypresses, and the 
plains near the harbor abound in fig and olive 
trees and vines. There seemed to be as many 
languages spoken in Smyrna as at Babel. Cara- 
vans of camels pour in from every part of Asia, 
Syria, and Arabia, while ships from Europe and 
America crowd the harbor. A jargon is heard, 
said to be composed of half a dozen languages, 
and abounding in nautical phrases and slang ex- 
pressions representing almost all the languages 
of the world. 

The grave of Polycarp is certainly one of the 
most interesting places in Smyrna. Possibly he 
was "the angel of the church in Smyrna" to 
whom the letter to that church was addressed. 
We know that he was bishop or pastor of that 
church for more than eighty years. We are all 
familiar with the heroic words which he uttered 
as he was led out to the place of execution. A 
cypress tree grows near the place where his dust 
reposes. W T hen threatened with wild beasts, he 
said, " Bring them forth " ; when urged to re- 
cant, his reply was, "I am a Christian! " He 
died at the stake A. D. 166. It may not be 
amiss to quote the words with which he affirmed 
his faith : " Eighty-six years have I served him ; 
during all this time he never did me any injury ; 
how then can I blaspheme my King and Sav- 
iour ? " Mission work is now going forward in 
Smyrna, and the light so long ago kindled in 
that land still continues to shine. 

Laodicea is sixty miles from Ephesus. It is 
said that now nothing but ruins remain. Of all 



the isles of Greece 509 

the seven churches, there is none whose over- 
throw has been so complete as that of Laodicea. 
Such was the fate of this lukewarm church, of 
which God said, " I will spew thee out of my 
mouth." It would be deeply instructive could 
one make a visit to Philadelphia, to Sardis, to 
Thyatira, and to Pergamos. Such Christian 
churches as are found are for the most part ex- 
amples of a nominal rather than a spiritual 
Christianity. 

We were next in the midst of places of won- 
derful classic interest. At the left of Smyrna 
and Ionia is Chios. The Apostle Paul sailed 
past this island. It will ever be memorable in 
connection with discussions concerning the birth- 
place of the immortal Homer. Near here is 
Lesbos, called during the Middle Ages, Mitylene, 
from its capital city, and famous as the birth- 
place of the musicians and poets, Terpander, 
Alcseus, Sappho, and Arion. It was while in 
this general vicinity that the Apostle Paul and 
others desired to go into Bithynia, but " the 
Spirit suffered them not.' 1 

Troy. — We were now near the scenes of the 
first and greatest war of the ancient day, the 
Trojan War. This is Troy, Troja, or Ilium, the 
scene of the Homeric poem, the metropolis of 
the Troad. This comprised a broad plain slop- 
ing from the foot of Mount Ida to the sea. The 
plain was densely peopled by the mixed race of 
the Pelasgians and Phrygians, and it contained 
many cities ; but of these Troy was by far the 



5IO AROUND THE WORLD 



most splendid and powerful. It was founded by 
Ilus, the son of Tros, and grandson of Dardanus. 
It had a fortified acropolis, called Pergamum, 
which contained many royal palaces and tem- 
ples of the gods. Its highest splendor was at- 
tained under Priam, the son of Laomedon ; under 
him also it reached its downfall. It will be re- 
membered that his son Paris carried off Helen, 
the wife of Menelaus ; to punish this outrage a 
Greek army landed in Troas, besieged Troy for 
ten years, and finally destroyed the city. But 
the kingdom of Troy existed for centuries after. 
The discoveries of the last generation have 
brought from the darkness and silence of three 
thousand years the knowledge of the site of the 
ancient Troy. This discovery is more remark- 
able than that of Nineveh by Layard. There 
was danger once that Ilium and the whole story 
of the Trojan War would be relegated to the re- 
gion of myths. Modern scholarship has accom- 
plished marvelous results in connection with 
these discoveries. Efforts have been made again 
and again to deny that there ever was a Homer, 
or that there ever was a city of Troy, or a Tro- 
jan War. Now all is changed, and many a 
learned theory is scattered like mist before the 
sunshine. The very armor of these ancient he- 
roes is placed under our eyes. The date of the 
capture of the city of Troy is generally put at 
1 184 B. c. Homer's immortal Iliad and Odyssey 
have given immortality to the city and plain of 
Troy. The two rivers flowing from Mount Ida, 
Scamander and Simois, so renowned in the leg- 



THE ISLES OF GREECE 51I 

ends of the Trojan War, unite in the plain of 
Troy, and the united streams finally flow into 
the Hellespont. 

Dr. Schliemann has set at rest all discussions 
regarding the locality of Troy, or Ilium, accord- 
ing to its Greek name. This distinguished dis- 
coverer was born in Mecklenburg, in 1822. 
When but a child he was accustomed to listen 
to the story of the Iliad as repeated to him by 
his father. In 1869 he started on his first tour 
of research ; in 1870-72 he continued his inves- 
tigations. He identified the true site of Troy, 
showing that the circumference of the walls is 
about three miles ; and he believes that he has 
discovered the spot where the citadel of Priam 
stood. The story is of fascinating interest. He 
believes that he has discovered not fewer than 
twenty-five thousand specimens of art, going 
back to the sixteenth century before Christ. 
Many of these, one regrets to say, are of the 
most undesirable moral significance. These in- 
teresting facts can only be mentioned here in 
the briefest possible way. 

Alexandria Troas was near the scene of ancient 
Troy. This name was given it to distinguish it 
from the Troy of Homer. All this neighbor- 
hood is the subject of legend and song, and one 
breathes here a truly classical atmosphere. Yon- 
der rises Mount Ida, with its beautiful woods, 
its sparkling streams, its poetic memories, and 
mythological allusions. 

Here is the island of Tenedos, ten miles in cir- 
cumference and thirteen miles from the mouth 



512 AROUND THE WOEXD 

of the Hellespont. It has a population of about 
seven thousand, partly Greeks and partly Turks. 
It is celebrated for its excellent wines. Beauti- 
ful was the afternoon when we sailed by this 
classical island. It lies like a gem on the bosom 
of the sea. Off in the distance was seen the 
nearest land of Europe, the lofty Mount Athos. 

It is said that before Constantine fixed on 
Constantinople as the site of his new capital, he 
thought of selecting Troas. To this day Troas 
retains the name of Eski-Stamboul, or Old Con- 
stantinople. It is also said that Julius Caesar, 
in his dream of a universal empire, thought of 
this beautiful spot as his capital. The Apostle 
Paul was at Troas no fewer than three times. 
It was here he preached to so late an hour at 
night that Eutychus fell from an upper window 
and was killed, but was restored to life by the 
words of the apostle (Acts 20 : 10). At this 
spot he was called to visit Europe ; it was here at 
night that there arose before his vision the man 
of Macedonia, saying, " Come over into Mace- 
donia, and help us" (Acts 16 : 9). It is impos- 
sible for any one fully to comprehend all that 
that call meant to the history of Europe and to 
the cause of Christianity throughout the world. 

Dr. Fish reminds us that on many memorable 
occasions the great men of the world visited this 
shore. Xerxes passed this way when he under- 
took to subdue Greece, and Julius Caesar was 
here after the battle of Pharsalia. Here at the 
tomb of Achilles the enthusiasm of Alexander 
of Macedon was kindled. The memory of his 



THE ISLES OF GREECE 513 

heroic ancestors so stirred his imagination and 
inspired his ambition that he hastened to over- 
throw the oldest dynasties of the far East. But 
here now stands Paul, the apostle of Jesus Christ, 
going- out on a nobler mission and achieving for 
himself incidentally a more enduring fame, while 
he brings immeasurable blessings to humanity 
and unfading glory to his Master. 



2H 



XXXIX 

CONSTANTINOPLE 

PASSING from the Mgean by the strait of 
the Dardanelles, anciently the Hellespont, 
meaning " bridge of Greece," we entered the Pro- 
pontis of the ancients, or sea of Marmora. This 
sea lies between European and Asiatic Turkey ; 
it is about one hundred and sixty miles long, 
and fifty-five miles wide. During a part of the 
afternoon and the night we sailed through these 
waters. The weather was not only cool, but 
positively cold during the night and the early 
morning, although it was about the middle of 
October. We bore around to the left, and en- 
tered the Bosphorus, and thence into the Golden 
Horn. Before the rising of the sun we anchored 
at old Byzantium, or Stamboul, now Constanti- 
nople. 

There was the usual scrambling for luggage, 
the usual shouting of the runners for boats and 
hotels, and the usual conflict of authorities before 
we were actually landed. The Orientals love 
noise. The excitement of landing from one of 
these steamers is enough to make a man half 
insane, unless he has made all arrangements 
before arrival, or is a man of stoical character. 
No one can ever forget the beauty of the situa- 



CONSTANTINOPLE 515 

tion of Constantinople as he approaches it by 
water. While I was arriving the sun arose, and 
mosques with their domes and minarets, and all 
the other public buildings of this fascinating 
city, were glittering in all the glorious splendor 
of the morning sunshine. It certainly was a 
sight never to be forgotten. 

Constantinople. — The name Constantinople 
means, the " city of Constantine." The Turk- 
ish name is Istamboul, or Stamboul. This his- 
toric city is the capital of Turkey and is situated 
at the southwestern entrance of the Bosphorus. 
It lies in two continents, and seems to be three 
cities as one approaches it ; it is really three 
cities. The ancient Byzantium is on the long, 
horn-shaped promontory between the sea of 
Marmora and the Golden Horn. To this city 
Constantine gave his own name. On what is 
now known as Seraglio Point the ancient city 
was located. It is easy to see why the Spartans, 
the Athenians, the Macedonians, the Persians, 
and still others, contended for the possession of 
the city whose position was so important. Like 
Rome, Constantinople occupied seven hills. In 
its early days it was surrounded by a wall which 
followed the line of the water on three sides and 
ran across the base of the promontory. The land 
wall many times saved the city from the northern 
barbarians and from the Arabian Saracens ; and 
although its towers are now battered and its 
gates are crumbling, the old wall still stands. 
The second city is on a promontory between the 



516 AROUND THE WORLD 

Golden Horn and the Bosphorus. It overlooks 
the ancient Byzantium. It bears three names — 
Galata, Tophanna, and Pera, which crowns the 
summit. The third city is Scutari. This part 
of the city is opposite the mouth of the Golden 
Horn. It is a little north of the ancient Chalce- 
don. This part of the city, it has been well 
remarked by Charles Dudley Warner, has been, 
"for over a thousand years the camp of succes- 
sive besieging armies, Georgians, Persians, Sara- 
cens, and Turks." 

The population of Constantinople is probably 
about one million, and perhaps one-half of this 
number are Moslems and the remainder are 
Greeks, Armenians, Jews, Persians, and other 
Orientals, and also many Levantines, or native 
Christians of European descent. Its harbor is 
capable of containing more than a thousand 
ships. It is thronged by vessels of all nations. 
As one enters the city so famous for its pictur- 
esque situation, its charm largely disappears. 
In Athens one rejoiced in seeing a city possess- 
ing the best characteristics of modern European 
cities. The tourist from the West becomes un- 
speakably weary of Asiatic towns. Athens is a 
delightful contrast to most of the places which 
he has recently visited ; but now in Constanti- 
nople he is reminded again of the towns in the 
far East. The streets are narrow, crooked, and 
fearfully filthy ; many of the houses are painfully 
dilapidated ; and the whole city is filled with 
abominable odors. The irregularity of the old 
streets baffles the most skillful traveler who is a 



CONSTANTINOPLE 517 

stranger in the city. The pavements are bad ; 
the streets are poorly lighted and the resort of 
thousands of dogs without owners and without 
anything else which well-conditioned dogs pos- 
sess. As in other Oriental cities, these dogs are 
the scavengers of the city. They are therefore 
generally treated with kindness and are of a peace- 
ful and gentle disposition. Here, as elsewhere in 
the Orient, the dogs of each street organize them- 
selves into separate colonies, and they will by no 
means allow the dogs of other streets to intrude 
on their territory. The boundary lines are 
sharply observed, and the trespassers are surely 
punished by the dogs of the invaded locality. 
These rules are so strictly kept that it is said that 
thousands of dogs are born and live and die 
without ever going beyond the limits of their 
natal territory. 

It is striking to find so many houses built of 
wood ; this fact accounts for the many destruc- 
tive conflagrations which the city has experi- 
enced. In the great fire of 1865, it is said, 
no fewer than eight thousand houses, twenty 
mosques, and many other public buildings, were 
destroyed. The city is divided into different 
quarters, according to the nationality of the in- 
habitants. One sees at once that Constantinople 
is a city of mosques. I hastened at an early 
hour to the mosque of St. Sophia, originally 
built by Constantine in 325-326, on the occasion 
of the removal of the seat of empire to Byzan- 
tium ; it was rebuilt by Justinian in 532-538, 
and it was transformed into a mosque by Moham- 



518 AROUND THE WORLD 

med II., in 1453, an( ^ renovated by the architect 
Fossati in 1847. The beautiful edifice is con- 
structed of light bricks, but it is lined throughout 
with colored marble. The ground plan is in the 
form of a cross, three hundred and fifty feet long 
and two hundred and thirty-six wide ; the diam- 
eter of the superb dome is one hundred and seven 
feet ; and the height from the ground to the 
cupola is one hundred and eighty feet. Beauti- 
ful mosaic work and gilt cover the ceiling and 
the arches ; some of the columns are of green 
jasper, and are said to have been taken from the 
celebrated temple of Diana at Ephesus. One's 
interest is wonderfully quickened as he remem- 
bers that it was here that Chrysostom, about 
A. d. 400, swayed the masses by his eloquence 
as he had previously done in the Syrian Antioch 
where he was born. Perhaps there is no struc- 
ture of its kind more perfect than the mosque 
of St. Sophia. At the very top of its dome is 
written in golden Arabic letters : " God is the 
light of the heavens and the earth." There are 
many other mosques of great beauty and of an 
interesting history, but the mosque of St. Sophia, 
because of its architectural symmetry, its Chris- 
tian history, and its connection with the capture 
of Constantinople, next to the discovery of 
America the greatest event of the fifteenth cen- 
tury, will always remain the object of chief in- 
terest to the Christian tourist in Constantinople. 
The mosque of Solyman, the Magnificent, the 
tombs of the sultans and Fuad Pasha, the Ser- 
askier Tower and the tower of Galata, and the 



CONSTANTINOPLE 519 

strangely weird services of the howling, whirling, 
and dancing dervishes, the seraglio, the bazaars, 
the offices of the Sublime Porte, the museum of 
the Janissaries, the Hall of One Thousand and 
One Columns, the great cisterns of Philoxena, 
the Burnt Column of Constantine, and especially 
the cemetery of Scutari, are objects of great in- 
terest in visiting this city. The bazaars are an 
instructive scene in the streets of this great city. 
Here remarkable collections of merchandise, of 
jewels, of precious stones, of silken and woolen 
fabrics, of modern embroideries, and in fact col- 
lections of articles of every Oriental production 
can be found. 

During my visit there was great excitement in 
Constantinople, owing to the attacks made upon 
the Armenians. The shops of the Armenians, 
and most of the bazaars, were closed, and their 
owners sat about the closed shops in a state of 
constant alarm. There was danger lest their 
shops should be looted, and they themselves 
should be attacked and possibly murdered. Some 
of them with whom I conversed, said they feared 
lest the walls should repeat their words and be 
witnesses against them. Their condition was 
truly pitiful. Soldiers constantly paraded the 
streets, and all strangers were objects of sus- 
picion. An English gentleman at the same 
hotel with me was searched during my visit, but 
his American revolver was in his hat and was 
not discovered. The whole city was in a state 
of feverish excitement, and ready at a moment's 
notice to break out into any sort of alarm or riot. 



520 AROUND THE WORLD 

The Suburbs. — Wonderfully interesting - is 
the bridge which crosses the Golden Horn. The 
whole world in miniature daily crosses that 
bridge. It ought to be a much better bridge than 
it is, it being covered simply with wooden planks. 
One can see there every type of Oriental and of 
European life. Bridges connect Stamboul with 
the modern cities of Galata and Pera, and jour- 
neys can be made by caiques or other boats to 
Scutari, which lies on the opposite side of the 
Bosphorus in Asia. Every spot, every square, 
every town, every mosque, recalls some wonder- 
ful historic event, or some scene of fearful car- 
nage. At every turn of the street, there are sug- 
gestions of mystery, or legends of the prowess of 
a pasha, or the caprice of a sultana. The whole 
atmosphere appeals to the imagination, and bears 
the tourist away to scenes of mystery, of horror, 
or of shame. Every Friday the sultan comes 
forth from his palace on the Bosphorus, and amid 
the booming of cannon, sails down in a splendid 
caique, or barge, to his mosque, which is sur- 
rounded by soldiers. Crowds watch him as he 
makes this trip from his palace to his mosque. 
Some of the barges which accompany the sul- 
tan are glittering with gold and most gracefully 
formed. He sits as a trembling tyrant on his 
tottering throne, pitied, despised, and hated by 
the most intelligent nations of the earth. 

Roberts College will always be an object of 
special interest to Christians from the United 
States. And no one can think of the Crimean 
war and its fearful horrors, and the ravages of 



CONSTANTINOPLE 521 

disease among British soldiers, without thinking 
of Florence Nightingale and her visit to Scutari 
in that terrible winter of 1855. The English 
cemetery, containing the bodies of many who fell 
in the Crimean war, is a well-kept flower garden, 
lying close to the Bosphorus. There is a great 
granite monument to eight thousand nameless 
dead. In the cemetery are stones commemor- 
ating those who fell at Alma, at Inkermann, at 
Balaklava and other terrible battlefields. The 
cemetery is the inevitable, the ubiquitous wit- 
ness to the horrors of every battlefield. 

There is very much of interest for the tourist 
in all this ancient and remarkable city. No 
wonder Russia has longed to get possession of 
this historic city. No man may dare prophesy 
as to what shall occur to it in the near future. 
Its location connects it and us with ancient his- 
tory and legend. The Bosphorus joins the Black 
Sea and the sea of Marmora. In the museum 
is the old chain that once stretched across the 
stream to prevent the entrance of alien fleets. 
Here Darius crossed into Europe with a fleet ; 
somewhere in this vicinity came Jason, having 
put to sleep the guarding dragon ; here Io in the 
form of an ox crossed the water, thus giving it 
the name Bosphorus. Through parts of this 
city blood has flowed in rivers ; cruelty, lust, 
and vice of every sort, together with virtues of 
many kinds, are suggested by the name Constan- 
tinople. 



XL 

CONSTANTINOPLE TO LONDON 

A Long Railway Ride. — I was not sorry to 
leave this city. The excitement was so great 
that any moment an outbreak was possible. By 
a careful study of time tables, I learned that 
leaving Constantinople a little before midnight 
of Wednesday, I could reach London in time for 
Sunday. Immediately I put my plans into vig- 
orous operation. My passport had to be ex- 
amined again and again before I was permitted 
to leave the city. About eleven o'clock, how- 
ever, I was on the train for London. I did not 
take the fastest train, as the additional charge 
for that train was about nine pounds. There 
was but another passenger with me in the com- 
partment as we started from Constantinople, he 
going to Paris, and I to London. 

Our journey was by way of Adrianople. This 
is an important Turkish city, named after the 
Emperor Hadrian, its founder. It has been the 
scene of many battles and sieges. The Turks 
took it from the Christians in 1361, and until 
they captured Constantinople in 1453, it was 
their capital. In 1829 the Russians captured it 
from the Turks, and again in 1878. We then 
passed through Philippopolis, the most impor- 
522 



CONSTANTINOPLE TO LONDON 523 

tant city of Ronmelia. Soon we reached Sophia, 
the capital of Bulgaria ; then on to Nisch, or 
Nissa, founded by Philip of Macedon, and the 
birthplace of Constantine the Great. 

We were constantly obliged to show our pass- 
port to various officials as we passed through 
these different countries. This became a very 
tedious process. We were glad to get beyond 
the influence of Turkey and of the countries in 
the vicinity of Turkish territory. We finally 
reached Belgrade, formerly the capital of Servia 
on the Danube. The ancient name was Singid- 
unura; the Turks call it Darol-Jihad, the "house 
of the holy war." The German name is Weis- 
senburg. The name Belgrade is of Slavonic 
origin, coming from bielo, "white," and grad, 
or grod, a "fort," or "town." It is situated at 
the confluence of the rivers Save and Danube. 
This is the chief place of trade between Turkey 
and Austria. It has been the scene of many 
sieges and battles. Belgrade means, as we have 
said, "white fortress." Our journey now led us 
through a district which of late years has been 
very conspicuous in European political history ; 
it also was a journey through the grand scenery 
of the Balkan Mountains. No one can be other 
than impressed both by the historical interest 
and by the natural beauty attaching to this part 
of the journey. 

One hundred and thirty miles southeast of 
Vienna we reached Buda-Pesth on the Danube. 
This city is made up of the city of Buda on the 
south bank of the river, and the city of Pesth on 



524 AROUND THE WORLD 

the north of the river ; the two cities being 
joined by a suspension bridge. Buda is on high 
ground, and is built around the Schlossberg, or 
" castle hill." We had time here to examine 
the citadel where emperors of Austria are crowned 
as kings of Hungary. The park, grounds, gar- 
dens, and the principal boulevards are very at- 
tractive. This is truly a fine city. The crown, 
scepter, and mantle of St. Stephen, the first 
Christian king of Hungary, are seen in the 
chapel near the cathedral. 

Pesth is on a sandy plain, and is protected by 
embankments which keep out the water of the 
river. About four-fifths of the population of the 
united cities live in Pesth. The Hall of the 
Hungarian Diet, or congress, is in this part of the 
city. The University of Pesth has more than two 
thousand students, and also excellent museums 
and libraries. It is supposed that the word Pesth, 
comes from an old word meaning, " sand." The 
Romans had a town on this site. Buda and 
Pesth were incorporated with each other in 
1873, and the compound name became the of- 
ficial name of the city. 

In a few hours we were in beautiful Vienna. 
This city and the rest of the journey to London 
were comparatively familiar territory. We had to 
take a most hurried carriage ride across Vienna 
from one railway station to another, and it was 
with the utmost difficulty that we reached the 
station before the train for Cologne, and eventu- 
ally for London, started. It was already in 
motion, and only by courtesy of the guard was 



CONSTANTINOPLE TO LONDON 525 

the door opened to give ns admittance. The 
ride was bitterly cold, especially to one who was 
dressed in the light clothing suitable for India 
and other tropical climes, even though wrapped 
in heavy rugs ; it was impossible to be comforta- 
bly warm until we reached railway coaches that 
were artificially heated. 

Beautiful was the ride through Germany, pass- 
ing one historic town after another, Nuremberg 
being reached in the morning after leaving 
Vienna on the previous evening. This was the 
first time that the writer had the opportunity of 
going along the shore of the Rhine in the autumn 
and seeing at that season the vine-clad hills and 
the castles so rich in historic memories, and so 
weird in legendary tales. Two interesting trav- 
eling companions, one a Scotchman from Glas- 
gow, and the other a Swede from Stockholm, 
gave additional zest to this interesting trip. At 
five o'clock on Saturday afternoon Cologne was 
reached. One could not help feeling much at 
home in places formerly visited, after a journey 
through so many countries seen for the first 
time. Here we changed trains for the first 
time since leaving Vienna, and having made 
no change between Constantinople and Vienna. 

At exactly midnight we prepared to cross the 
channel at Ostend, and a few hours afterward 
we were at Dover. The journey across the 
channel was made while sleep was so sound 
that it required considerable effort on the part 
of one of the officials to break the spell of slum- 
ber when Dover was reached. From Dover to 



526 AROUND THE WORLD 

London, the journey seemed as nothing, and 
again the writer had to be aroused at Cannon 
Street that he might be ready to leave the coach 
when Charing Cross should be reached. At five 
o'clock on Sunday morning he reached his room 
in the Charing Cross Hotel. 

Days in London. — If there was a grateful 
man in London, it was this scribe as he gave 
thanks to God for journeying mercies and for 
the opportunity of spending the Lord's Day in a 
Christian city, and for the privilege of worship- 
ing in the Metropolitan Tabernacle. For some 
weeks life had been, so far as public religious 
services were concerned, rather heathen than 
Christian. Never was the appreciation of an 
English-speaking, Protestant, and genuinely 
Christian country so great, as when London 
was reached that morning. One felt almost as 
much at home as if he were in New York. We 
seldom appreciate our Christian, national, and 
linguistic privileges until we have been de- 
prived of all of them in whole or in part for 
consecutive months. 

It was very pleasant to have the opportunity 
of spending a few days in London before sailing 
for home. London possesses a strange charm 
to every one who is familiar with its history 
and who spends considerable time within its 
limits. London is an overwhelming city. It is 
not one city, but a congeries of cities. London 
is in a real sense the heart of the financial and 
commercial world. It is the center of the world 



CONSTANTINOPLE TO LONDON 527 

in a variety of senses. One day of this grimy, 
smoky, and altogether dingy city is better than 
a week of smiling, bowing, and asseverating 
Paris. With profound gratitude the pleasure of 
spending Sunday in this city was contemplated. 

I hastened to the Metropolitan Tabernacle. 
To me this church is a mightier influence for 
good and for God than St. Paul's or Westminster 
Abbey. The ever-honored Charles H. Spurgeon 
made the Tabernacle the center of influences 
which reached to the ends of the earth. This 
building will ever be sacred, because of its mani- 
fold associations. I thought of the time, about 
twenty years ago, when first I saw and heard its 
great pastor in its pulpit. Now I looked for- 
ward with gratitude to the opportunity of hear- 
ing Pastor Thomas Spurgeon on this particular 
Lord's Day. In his success as the successor of 
his father, thousands of Christians of all denom- 
inations on both sides of the Atlantic feel a pro- 
found and prayerful interest. 

London, on this last Sunday in October, was 
peculiarly gloomy, smoky, and chilly. Soon, 
however, Pastor Thomas came into his father's 
old reception room with words, face, and hand of 
welcome. A little later we were in the great au- 
ditorium. The people were pouring in at all the 
doors. Would it be possible on this Sunday 
morning to fill the great church ? The people 
were answering that question in the affirmative. 
One is constantly reminded as the honored son 
reads and expounds the Scripture, and as he 
leads the great congregation in prayer, of the 



528 AROUND THE WORLD 

beloved and now sainted father. The sermon 
was on the words of Christ to his parents, 
" Wist ye not that I must be about my Father's 
business ? " It was a warm-hearted discourse. 
It did my soul good to participate in this serv- 
ice. At its close many hearty introductions 
and cordial welcomes were given to the visiting 
brother. 

I had the opportunity of attending the pleas- 
ant Sunday afternoon service in Rev. F. B. 
Meyer's church. This is a unique service. An 
audience of the better class of workingmen about 
half filled the church. The exercises were hearty, 
the addresses brief, pointed, and practical. The 
most earnest spiritual appeals were made by Mr. 
Meyer and others, and they, as well as the solos 
that were sung and certain patriotic resolutions 
which were offered, were all heartily cheered. 
One was somewhat shocked at the absence of 
what is usually considered to be the appropriate 
decorum of a religious service in a church on 
the Lord's Day ; but further consideration of the 
object of this service, as well as its dominant 
spirit, modified any unfavorable criticism which 
at the first one might be disposed to make. The 
whole purpose of the occasion was religious, and 
the men were deeply in earnest. 

The evening service at the Tabernacle was 
stimulating and helpful. For several evenings 
during the week the writer had the opportunity 
of delivering addresses at the various services 
which were held. On one evening there was a 
report of the workers in one department, and on 



CONSTANTINOPLE TO LONDON 529 

other evenings reports of workers in other de- 
partments of the manifold services which this 
great church is so successfully rendering. At 
all these services the presence of Pastor Thomas 
Spurgeon gave direction, enthusiasm, and in- 
spiration. He has enormous burdens to carry, 
but he is carrying them with a brave heart, and 
a strong faith. He has a great place to fill, and 
he is filling it with humble reliance upon God, 
with earnest personal work, arid in the enjoy- 
ment of the love and support of the great ma- 
jority of the members of this historic church. 

No man could succeed so great a preacher and 
pastor as was his father without having some 
defections and criticisms. Many considerations 
with which the world is familiar tended to com- 
plicate the relation of the church to the pastor, 
but happily all these complications are passing 
away. Pastor Thomas Spurgeon is a growing 
man, growing intellectually, spiritually, and 
practically. His whole spirit is under the in- 
fluence of the Spirit of God, and his presence 
generates in the hearts of others a similar spirit 
in their relation to one another and to all the 
work of the church. He is a man of most 
earnest and evangelistic spirit. He realizes his 
need of God's presence in his work, and that 
presence is constantly enjoyed. Already the 
crisis in the history of this church has passed. 
The future is assured. There will be hard work 
needed ; hard work will be performed ; and the 
blessing of God will crown this sanctified labor 
with abundant success. Pastor Thomas Spur- 



530 AROUND THE WORLD 

geon has a large and warm place in the hearts 
of his brethren of all denominations throughout 
the world. 

A visit was made to the Stockwell Orphanage, 
founded by Charles H. Spurgeon. This insti- 
tution is a home and school for hundreds of 
fatherless boys and girls. It has often been 
described by visitors who have desired to see the 
varied forms of work founded and carried on by 
the late Mr. Spurgeon. This institution is a 
monument to his practical wisdom, his Christian 
love, and his varied forms of devotion to the 
cause of God and man. Rev. Vernon I. Charles- 
worth is the head-master. Pastor Thomas Spur- 
geon is now vigorously engaged in the work' of 
the Orphanage, as in all the other forms of 
work connected with the great church. It 
would be easy to write many paragraphs de- 
scribing the origin, history, and position of the 
Stockwell Orphanage. It is doing a work on 
which the blessing of God constantly rests. 

The greater part of a day was spent in visit- 
ing the cemetery where the great hero and worn 
warrior, Charles H. Spurgeon, sleeps after his 
years of service and self-sacrifice. His monu- 
ment could not be more appropriate in material 
or in form. The gray granite seems to be sym- 
bolic of his own firm spirit, unwavering resolve, 
and enduring character. In form it is some- 
what suggestive of the Metropolitan Tabernacle. 
Its plainness, majesty, and tastefulness are all in 
perfect keeping with the character, life, work, 
and fame of the great man whose dust it covers. 



CONSTANTINOPLE TO LONDON 53 1 

Tender memories will ever gather about that 
tomb, and also about the home in Westwood, vis- 
ited the same afternoon. The love of Mrs. Spur- 
geon for her home, her work, her sainted husband, 
and her noble sons, no words can adequately 
describe ; but above all earthly loves, is her love 
to Christ, which constrains her in all her service 
for the cause of God. No words of description 
may be allowed to intrude unduly upon the 
sanctities of that home, that study, and this be- 
reaved heart. The home seemed vocal with the 
memories of the great preacher, pastor, writer, 
and worker ; and it seemed radiant with the 
glories of his and our divine Master. 

' Every evening during this week there was a 
service of some form in connection with the 
Tabernacle, in all of which this writer with 
great enjoyment participated. On Friday after- 
noon he had the pleasure of meeting and ad- 
dressing the students of the Pastor's College. 
The heartiness, responsiveness, and consecration 
of these students, were notable. This was his 
last night in London. The weather was for 
much of the week wet, and for all of the week 
cold. A glowing grate fire was a welcome ad- 
junct to one's room. 

Conclusion. — On Saturday, the 26th of Oc- 
tober, the journey homeward was begun from 
Southampton on the steamer "Berlin," the "St. 
Louis " having been so disabled that it could not 
make its return passage on the appointed day. 
The journey homeward, although thus late in 



532 AROUND THE WORLD 

the season, was extremely pleasant. It was an 
equal surprise and pleasure to find on board 
the Hon. Charles A. Boutelle, with whom an 
acquaintance was begun in Washington, and 
which has been continued for many years ; and 
also Major Preston, of Hartford, whose success- 
ful business career is equaled by his constant 
devotion to Christian work. 

Joyous was the return to New York on the 
fourth of November at 9 o'clock in the morn- 
ing. With a gratitude which no words can 
describe, the greetings of family and church 
friends were received. The time taken in this 
trip around the world was just five months to 
a day. During that time a distance of about 
thirty-five thousand miles was traveled. There 
was not one moment's sickness, not one serious 
miscalculation in plans, nor disappointment in 
carrying out those plans. Every moment was 
marked by tokens of Divine blessing and by 
manifold experiences of pleasure and profit. 

The world was never so large as now, nor so 
small. We are learning as never before that the 
interests of one country are the interests of all 
countries, and that no man can be indifferent to 
the welfare of his fellow-men in any part of the 
world. A man to-day, and especially an Ameri- 
can, ought to be cosmopolitan in sympathy, in 
knowledge, and in desire. Still it will ever be 
true that, 

The patriot' s boast, where' er we roam, 
His first, best country, ever is at home. 



